PESHAWAR:The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) health department is scheduled
to meet pharmaceutical company Pharmedic Laboratories on Friday (today)
to work out a solution to the interferon shortage in the province.
A high-ranking official of the department told The Express Tribune
the government has paid Rs70.3 million to the Lahore-based company for
0.8 million vials of interferon, but cannot take the medicine used to
treat hepatitis. The case has been pending in court regarding
substandard interferon since 2013, he added, explaining the gap in
supply.
At the time, the Anti-Corruption Establishment seized over 0.5 million
vials from public hospitals. According to an official source, the
remaining stock of interferon with the health department ran out in
November and since then patients await free treatment as they cannot
afford to buy the drug at retail cost from pharmacies. The shortage is
affecting an estimated 47,000 patients of hepatitis C across the
province.
Read more... Labels: drug access, drug distribution, interferon shortage, Pakistan