Key cancer drug Carboplatin disappears from Stavropol pharmacies

Cancer patients in Stavropol and cities in other regions of Russia are sounding the alarm: Carboplatin has disappeared from pharmacies — one of the key drugs used in chemotherapy regimens. The medication is used in the treatment of lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, and a number of other oncological diseases.

Carboplatin is a second-generation platinum-based antitumor chemotherapy drug. The medication is used to treat various types of cancer. It is included in the list of vital and essential drugs. Carboplatin often forms part of so-called double regimens — combined chemotherapy (the use of two different treatment methods. — Ed.). This type of treatment is effective due to the platinum component. Excluding the drug from the protocol often means not just a «lightened» course, but a real reduction in the chances of tumor response.

Residents of Stavropol Krai, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok, Penza, and other cities are reporting the absence of Carboplatin and problems with purchasing it in pharmacies. Cancer patients in chats exchange information about where they last bought the drug. In Moscow, allegedly, private clinics administer IV drips for 10–20 thousand rubles (about $100–$200 at current rates) per session. Patients say they have been unable to find the drug for weeks, calling dozens of pharmacies — without success.

Correspondents from 26.RU visited several pharmacies in Stavropol. The picture is the same everywhere.

In another pharmacy, the answer was even shorter:

— «We don»t have the drug and never did. You can order it.«

To clarifying questions — how long to wait, through whom to order, and how much it will cost — the pharmacist replied:

— «You can order it, but not through our pharmacy chain.»

Where exactly the drug can be ordered, who will deliver it, and when — no one gave a clear answer. In online pharmacies, the situation is no better: Carboplatin is out of stock.

A search on popular services yielded no results — the drug is either absent or marked as «temporarily unavailable.»

Interestingly, in Moscow, the drug can still be found — but at a price that makes patients lose hope. In some online pharmacies, it appears sporadically, and the cost reaches almost 20,000 rubles (about $200 at current rates) per vial.

For many patients, this is an unaffordable amount — especially considering that treatment requires several courses.

Officially, the authorities have not yet commented on the situation with the drug. But experts in the medical field cite «logistical difficulties» and the consequences of sanctions, which have complicated supplies, as reasons for the disappearance of the important medication.

«The drug belongs to second-generation platinum drugs. And precious metals are now becoming more expensive. Platinum is hitting records over the last five years,» the expert noted. «No commercial organization will operate at a loss for long. And, apparently, that is why the production of platinum drugs has significantly decreased. And this is one of the key drugs.»

Another oncologist, Andrei Pylev, noted that there are difficulties with the drug, but according to him, for now, they only concern government procurement.

«The issue is specifically with government procurement; in pharmacies, the drug is available, it is accessible. Yes, but, naturally, a significant portion of patients receive treatment and should receive it for free, and I know that they are experiencing problems,» the doctor shared. «There are other platinum drugs, but they are somewhat different. There is no full replacement for the drug.»

The latest procurement of Carboplatin for the Pyatigorsk Interdistrict Oncology Dispensary in the region was attempted very recently on January 20, 2026, for an amount of 932 thousand rubles (about $9,300 at current rates) — 0 bids. Before that, all attempts to purchase the drug since October 28, 2025 — and the procurement was attempted 6 times — from October to December 2025 for amounts from 9,441,710 rubles (about $94,400 at current rates) — also did not succeed, not a single bid from suppliers to fulfill the contract was received.

The editorial office of 26.RU has sent a request to the regional Ministry of Health with questions about the availability of the drug in the Stavropol oncology dispensary.