The Clinical Center (KC) has once again run out of the drug "bleomycin" - a cytostatic used in the treatment of patients with some types of cancer, "Vijesti" has learned unofficially.
The pharmacy institution "Montefarm", which supplies medical facilities with medicines, did not answer "Vijesti" as to the reason for the shortage, how many doses were delivered to KC and when delivery is expected.
The drug "Bleomycin" is intended for the treatment of patients with Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, cancer of the testicles, esophagus, cervix and squamous cells in the head and neck area, as well as in patients diagnosed with cancer when fluid accumulates in the lungs.
That cytostatic failed in KC in mid-April, so patients had to stop or postpone the therapy.
"Montefarm" then announced that the delivery was delayed because of the manufacturer. This cytostatic, however, could be bought in Serbia.
"Bleomycin" was delivered to the largest health facility on April 22, only to have a new shortage just fifteen days later.
At the beginning of March, the Clinical Center ran out of the cytostatic drug 5-fluorouracil (5FU), which is used to treat patients with stomach and colon cancer. Due to the shortage, therapy was delayed for some patients and they could not receive the necessary dose of the medicine.
"Montefarm" then replied that the drug was at customs and that it would be delivered to the Clinical Center at the beginning of next week, without specifying the reason for the shortage.
Seven days later, on March 9, "Vijesti" announced that the largest health institution lacked the drug "paclitaxel" (Taxol), which is used to treat breast cancer.
Patients appealed to the authorities to notify patients when supplies are running low and there is no new delivery, or to refer them to other health centers.
"Montefarm" then replied that "Taxol" would be delivered in three days.
According to information from the portal of the Public Procurement Administration, in mid-December, during the annual procurement of ampoule drugs, Montefarm also requested cytostatic bleomycin.
In the second half of February, "Montefarm" signed a contract with a pharmaceutical company on the delivery of several drugs, including "bleomycin". The contract specified a price of 15.300 euros for 600 ampoules of this medicine.
"Vijesti" announced in the second half of last month that health centers ran out of hepatitis B vaccine for children. Previously, the "pentaxim" vaccine, which protects children against five diseases - diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and hemophilus type B, was also missing, but it was soon distributed to health centers throughout Montenegro.
"Montefarm" said that they asked for the vaccine against hepatitis B twice through a tender, but there were no valid offers.
"A new emergency tender procedure for this vaccine is underway and we hope that it will be implemented. As for the other vaccines, the supply is continuous and satisfactory," the reply states.
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