THE Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued a warning about falsified IBRANCE (palbociclib) capsules, a cancer medicine used to treat certain types of breast cancer in adults.

It comes after a World Health Organization (WHO) medical product alert.

In a statement on Wednesday, the MoH, through its Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division (CFDD), said the genuine manufacturer, Pfizer, confirmed the products named in the WHO alert are falsified. The WHO reported that falsified IBRANCE has been detected in Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya and Türkiye.

According to the MoH, laboratory testing by Pfizer found the falsified capsules contained no active pharmaceutical ingredient. The ministry warned that without the required active ingredient, the product is unsafe and can lead to treatment failure, uncontrolled progression of cancer and an increased risk of death.

The ministry said multiple visual discrepancies were also identified on packaging and capsules. While some falsified products carried genuine lot numbers, abnormalities were found in packaging, serialisation and capsule printing.

IBRANCE (palbociclib) is registered for use in Trinidad and Tobago, and the MoH said that “out of an abundance of caution” anyone who may have the drug bearing the lot numbers identified in the WHO alert should discontinue use immediately and return it to the place of purchase where possible.

The MoH outlined signs that may indicate a falsified product, including label abnormalities such as a label stating “Manufactured by: Pfizer, PO Box 29387, Mission, KS 66201,” spelling errors or poor-quality printing. Packaging concerns include a security foil on the bottle displaying the Pfizer logo in black ink. Capsule irregularities include capsules marked in black ink “PBC 125” or with no markings, as well as capsules appearing in unusual colours, such as bright orange.