A cure for a rare cancer has been missing for almost a month

For some patients who are being treated for a malignant disease of the bone marrow, immunotherapy, a drug that is approved based on the approval of the Commission of the Ministry of Health, has been missing for about twenty days.

The medicine "revlimid" of 25 milligrams, according to the claims of the health institution "Montefarm", should arrive today in that institution, but also in the state pharmacies where this therapy is started.

"Montefarm" said that they procure this medicine based on the approval of the Commission of the Ministry of Health for patients who have been diagnosed with a specific disease.

"After 'Montefarm' receives an order from the said Commission, we procure the drug from an authorized supplier (in this case 'Farmegra'), for the patient only in the quantity that has been approved", they clarified.

"Montefarm" said that the medicine in the strength of 10 milligrams is available to patients for whom it has been approved, while the 15-milligram strength has not been approved for any patient in Montenegro.

"Regarding 'revlimid' caps. 25mg there is a current delivery discontinuity from the supplier and according to the last information we received, we expect delivery on Friday, that is, tomorrow. On the same day, after the usual reception procedure is completed, the drug will be delivered to our pharmacies, where patients fill prescriptions prescribed based on the approval of the Commission of the Ministry of Health", the institution's response states.

Multiple myeloma is a malignant disease that arises from plasma cells (plasmocytes) produced by the bone marrow. The box of medicine used by these patients, which is approved by the Commission of the Ministry of Health, costs from 4.360 to 5.036 euros, depending on the strength of the medicine.

Patients suffering from malignant diseases have faced a shortage of cytostatics more than once since the beginning of the year.

In March of this year, breast cancer patients could not receive chemotherapy for days, because the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG) ran out of the drug "docetaxel".

A similar situation was recorded at the end of April, when a large number of patients were returned from the Institute of Oncology because there were no drugs "Taxol" (paclitaxel) and "Taxotera" (docetaxel).

Some of these cytostatics were missing from the healthcare system even in January. That month, in the Special Hospital for Lung Diseases "Dr. Jovan Bulajić" Brezovik, patients suffering from lung cancer were left without the necessary medicine. The cytostatic "pemetrexed" was missing due to production problems, and the institutions then acquired a therapeutic parallel.

"Montefarm" previously clarified that, when the authorized importer does not have any medicine available, for which he is also the holder of the marketing permit, at that moment the market in Montenegro does not have it available, that is, it is not available to either the private or public healthcare system .

They also claimed that shortages of oncology therapy are rare, and that their cause is usually a problem in the production and import of the drug itself, which is not within the competence of the institution that is responsible for the procurement of drugs for the needs of hospitals.

Oncology patients can currently receive chemotherapy only at the KCCG Oncology Institute. At the end of last year, that institution announced the possibility of decentralization of the oncology service and the opening of oncology dispensaries in the north and south this year.

"The therapy would be prepared at the Institute of Oncology and transported closer to the patient's place of residence, which would, on the one hand, reduce significant funds for travel costs, and on the other, save time for patients who spend traveling, waiting and returning home, and that time with social from the psychological aspect can be used for the purpose of improving the quality of life", said KCCG.