HCM City (VNA) - A nine month shortage of Glivec cancer medicineproduced by the Novartis Pharma Service – AG Company(Switzerland) has eased for hundreds of patients following aGovernment move to allow hospitals to stock the pharmaceutical product usingold import dossiers.

The drugs are used by patientssuffering from cancer, including chronicmyelogenous leukemia and gastro-intestinal stromal tumours.

However, according to hospitals,the stock of donated Glivec and Tasigna ran out in December, putting cancerpatients under pressure.

The shortage was due toResolution No. 54 issued in May last year which said that permits for theimportation of medicines under humanitarian aid programmes must be completed ina special manner. 

Novartis recently said in apetition to the ministry that it faced many obstacles preparing and completingthe dossiers called for in Resolution No. 54. This brought the importation ofGlivec to Vietnam to a halt.

This included a Certificate ofPharmaceutical Product (CPP), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), ASEAN CommonTechnical Dossier (ACTD), proposed labels and actual circulation labels in thehost countries.

Phu Chi Dung, director of HCMCity Hospital of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, said aresolution passed on January 12 approved the use of the drug at four hospitals- the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Cho RayHosptial, HCM City Oncology Hospital and HCM City Hospital of Haematology andBlood Transfusion.

“The resolution has lifted upcancer treatment at hospitals. We are completing proceduresto stock Glivec and expect to receive it in one week,” said Dung.

A programme to assist patients bydistributing two types of cancer medicines, Glivec 100mg and Tasigna 200mg, wasimplemented by Novartis in 2015 at seven medical facilities - the NationalCancer Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital, Hue Central Hospital, theNational Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Cho RayHospital, HCM City Oncology Hospital and HCM City Hospital of Haematology andBlood Transfusion.

Cancer patients who participatein social insurance for more than 36 months can take part in a PatientAssistance Programme in which the social insurance fund pays 40 percent of theGlivec or Tasigna costs and the rest is sponsored by Novartis. Those whoparticipate for less than 36 months, will have the cost of the drugs fullyfunded by the company.

The lowest dose of Glivec prescribedby doctors is two tablets a day, while the highest dose is eight tablets a day.The price of commercial Glivec in HCM City is 442,000 VND (19.4 USD) pertablet. If a patient is resistant to or intolerant of Glivec, a doctor mayprovide a treatment with two tablets of Tasigna a day. The price of commercialTasigna in HCM City is 707,000 VND (31 USD) per a tablet.-VNA