Rifampicin powder. Photo by Wikipedia user Thepcmaniac (CC BY-SA 4.0).
2 November 2015
On 5 October, GroundUp reported that the pharmaceutical company Sandoz had stopped supplying an essential medicine for treating tuberculosis (TB) to South Africa.
Intravenous rifampicin is given to extremely ill patients who are unable to take the drug as a pill.
Following complaints from clinicians and a meeting with the TB advocacy organisation, Global TB Community Advisory Board, Sandoz has found an alternate supplier.
Intravenous rifampicin will now be supplied by Equity Pharmaceuticals, a South African company. However, since Equity Pharmaceuticals’ version of the drug is not registered with the Medicines Control Council (MCC), a special process called section 21 authorisation (so-named after section 21 of the Medicines Act) needs to be followed to use the drug.
Applying for section 21 authorisations is inconvenient and costs about R300 per application, but many large hospitals have systems in place with the MCC that allow quick turnaround time of these applications, so that patients can get unregistered drugs either the same or the next day.
Carel Bouwer of Equity told GroundUp, by email, that the company, “will definitely explore the opportunity to register the product again with the MCC.” He said though that this will “take time and in the short term we can assist customers on section 21 terms.”
Bouwer also said the company will sell the drug at the same price that Sandoz sold it, after taking into account “exchange rate, courier and clearing charges”.
If you are a patient or a clinician struggling to obtain supplies, let GroundUp know on info [at] groundup.org.za.