Research by scientists from the University of Nairobi indicates that chemotherapy drugs used for cancer treatment in Kenya and Africa in general are highly toxic.
The scientists say this is the reason behind the high rate of failure registered in the course of managing the deadly disease in Africa.
The study, which was conducted in collaboration with research company Advanced Genomic Solution (AGS) Africa Ltd, found out that Africans have a different genomic markup.
Appearing before Senators, Dr. Esther Maina of UON and Billy Njuguna of AGS said chemo drugs, especially for prostate cancer and breast cancer, are not effective on the Kenyan patients.
The two said that most chemo drugs have failed since they were tested in areas where people have different gene composition from that of Africans.
“The challenge is that the genomic markup for Africans is different. Chemotherapy drugs tested and tried in the US and other developed countries cannot work well here,” Njuguna said.
“We can have a kind of genomic testing solution for cancer patients in Africa. We have advanced genomic tests which now cost less than 500 dollars. They are easy to use.
“If you have a cancer patient with a known genetic markup, you are able to prescribe the right medication for cancer patients,” Njuguna said.
The two explained that chemo drugs are manufactured by big pharmaceuticals in different countries but are used by people in areas where they were not tested.
“We want to have our own chemo agent developed based on our genomic markup. This, we hope, will reduce cases of drugs failure by 60 percent,” Njuguna explained.
Ms. Maina said Kenyan researchers are keen to identify genomic bio-markups that are representative of the African people.
“In as much as we have all these drugs, they are not helping us since their toxicity is very high, which is unacceptable,” she said.
“Issues of diagnostics are different. For instance, the PSAI antigen test to detect prostate cancer is not effective on Kenyan men.”
The two were part of a team of experts invited by Senate Health Committee chaired to give views on the proposed amendments to the Cancer Prevention bill.
We have African Americans in…
We have African Americans in USA. Do those drugs work for them? I see clinical studies advertised all the time asking for people from all the races.
Huu ni ukweli kabisa. Kwa…
Huu ni ukweli kabisa. Kwa mfano, utafiti Marekani unasisitiza kwamba ni bayana Mmarekani mweusi anauwezeka kupata magonjwa sugu kama vile ya kisukari, moyo, saratani, pumu, na shinikizo la damu na ukimwi. Diposa unapofika hospitalini, unajaza fomu inayokuelekeza utambue kama wewe ni mzungu shingo nyekundu, mtu mweusi, mhindi, Latino au Filipino. Ni kwa sababu chepe chepe za uradhi(DNA), ngozi, misuli, damu, maumbile ya mtu mweusi ni tofauti na ya mzungu. Sote twafahamu kwamba, hata jua na njoto iwashe moto kiasi gani, Mkenya yeyote hawezi kung’oka ngozi wala kupararazwa na jua. Kinyume cha hayo, mzungu anapochomwa na jua, awe mapumzikoni ufuoni mwa Atlantiki au Pacifiki, ngozi yake hung’oka na kuraruka kama kuku wa mkaango. Diposa mimi sili kuku kamwe. Nikiuweka utafiti kando, nimebaini kwamba marafiki na majirani niwajuao waliowezwa na ugonjwa wa saratani na kupelekwa India kwa matibabu zaidi, ugonjwa huo ulipunguzwa au kutoweka kabisa. Waliporudi Kenya na kubeba dawa za kuendelea na matibabu kutoka India, sarakani ilitoweka kabisa. Lakini wale ambao waliandikiwa na madaktari wa India ili wazipate kutoka hospitali kama vile hospitali za Nairobi, Mater, Nairobi West, Agha Ghan, Texas na nyinginezo, hali yao ilidorora na hawako nasi tena. Kwanini ikawa hivyo? Kwa sababu madaktari wa India huketi chini na kujadiliana kuhusu mgonjwa na kumpa dawa inayomhusu yeye. Na ni kama chepe chepe za uradhi za Waafrika na Wahindi zina uhusiano mmoja, pengine ni kwa sababu ya ulaji, unyuaji, mazingira, umaskini, na mengineo yanayomfanya Mwafrika na Mhindi kuhimili vishindo vya maisha. Kwa wenye shingo nyekundu, maumbile yao ni nyororo kwa sababu ya wanazila na maisha yao kwa jumla. Ni muhimu wataalamu na watafiti wa Kenya kutafuta dawa na suluhu za magonjwa sugu ambayo yanaambatana na Uafrika, badala ya kuendelea kutumia madawa ambayo uchunguzi wake ni wa wazungu ambao wananyofoka ngozi wakati hali ya anga inapobadilika.
Chemotherapy is toxic to…
Chemotherapy is toxic to humans of all races. Recent studies have shown that chemo actually promotes growth of cancerous cells. High cancer death rates in Kenya stem from late detection and lack of funds to obtain treatment. Most Kenyans will only seek treatment for stage 4 cancer which has low survival rates. Wealthy Kenyans will fly to India before their cancer advances. Remember the rich get regular checkups and cancer is detected in the early stages when survival rates are much higher. Consider this study from USA comparing survival rates by race: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cancer.org/latest-news/gap-in-cancer-death-rates-between-blacks-and-whites-narrows.html
Mr Njuguna, you have full…
Mr Njuguna, you have full support. For all obvious reasons, we should not have foreigners making decisions on what Kenyan’s put into their body and especially when the make up of the so “whites” is different from that of the so called “blacks”. If the same medicine is what is given to our “so called black brothers” in America, who happen to have the same body make up as us, then it’s time to do some more research. Find out the difference between the medication they consume and that given to Africans.
The best alternative is to abandon foreign medicine and come up with our own that will serve the interests of the “black population”. We have been dependent for too long. Time to find new path that will seek solutions for Kenyan’s and Africa at large!!
Africa has always been a…
Africa has always been a target for population control. From expired drugs, highly poisonous drugs….sterilizing our men,women and children…. KEBS have no standards
My comments to Senate were…
My comments to Senate were basically that there is a genotype-phenotype differences between races and within the races eg African Americans and Africans based on environmental factors that have had an effect on evolutionary genetics between the 2 “black” population therefore a genotyping analysis should be on the African and correlated with Caucasian and Afro-American and select genetic markers specific to the African….from there, many more genetic studies would enable us to find new markers and elucidate their signalling pathway which would shed light on our genome and association between it and the chemotherapeutic agents applied, among other studies geared towards our genetics…. Hope that makes sense….
There is also matters of diagnosis and medicinal plants on issues therapy…. Basically, there is alot that can be done “For Us and By Us” ??