New Delhi: Four boxes containing injections of a cancer drug went missing from the Delhi State Cancer Institute in east Delhi’s Dilshad Garden, prompting the registration of an FIR, police said on Tuesday.
The estimated retail value of the missing medicines is between Rs 9 lakh and Rs 10.8 lakh, according to experts.
The complaint, filed by Dr Pankaj Tyagi, associate professor of gastroenterology at the institute, stated that four boxes containing nimotuzumab 200 mg injections, with each box containing four vials of 50 mg each, were found missing from a designated refrigerator in the chemotherapy day care department on the second floor.
Nimotuzumab is a monoclonal antibody used in targeted cancer treatment. It works by targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a protein involved in the growth of cancer cells. It is used in the treatment of certain cancers, including head and neck cancer and glioma.
According to the complaint, the injections were placed in the refrigerator on October 3 between 5.30 pm and 6 pm, after the completion of chemotherapy procedures.
When the refrigerator was opened on October 5 to issue the medicines for use, the four boxes were found missing, the complaint stated.
The institute constituted a committee to conduct an internal inquiry into the reported shortage and examine the relevant stock and medicine records, according to the complaint.
An immediate response on the matter was not available from the hospital.
The matter was subsequently brought to the notice of the police for verification and investigation.
An FIR was registered on October 12 at the G T B Enclave police station under Section 305(a) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The accused has been listed as unknown in the FIR.
The police said that they have initiated an investigation into the matter. The official further said the hospital had reported similar incidents in the past, adding that the possibility of an organised network dealing would also be examined as part of the investigation.
