Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 26: Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Monday strongly defended the state government's decision to provide an Indian-made, low-cost medicine to children suffering from spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), dismissing the Opposition's criticism and praising the Health Department, IANS reported. "What is wrong with selling medicines at a lower price to poor children?" the Chief Minister asked in the Assembly, as reported.
Source: IANS via Hi India
Satheesan questioned whether the Opposition's objection was to the sharp reduction in the cost of treatment, saying a 12-day supply of the medicine that costs around Rs 6.5 lakh was now available for Rs 15,000 — yaani, a supply priced in lakhs has come down to a few thousand rupees. He congratulated Health Minister K. Muraleedharan and the Health Department for making the medicine available at the much lower price, IANS reported.
Source: IANS via Hi India
The controversy began after packets of an Indian-made generic medicine supplied to children at the Sree Avittom Thirunal (SAT) Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram were found to carry the labels "Physician Sample" and "For Clinical Trials Only", IANS reported. The labels raised concerns among parents, who feared their children were being given medicines meant for trials — a concern the government and hospital authorities have rejected, saying the medicine is an approved generic formulation and the labels were on sample stock supplied during a temporary shortage.
Source: IANS via Hi India
The Opposition, including three former Health Ministers from the CPI(M) — P.K. Sreemathi, K.K. Shailaja and Veena George — has questioned the safety of the medicine and the procedures followed in its procurement and distribution, and has demanded a comprehensive investigation into the distribution of the disputed bottles. These are the Opposition's allegations and demands; the government has denied wrongdoing.
Source: The Arabian Post
The government has maintained that the generic medicine, manufactured by Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma and marketed as Natsmart, has expert backing and regulatory approval, IANS reported. Health experts cited in earlier reporting noted that Roche's branded drug Evrysdi (risdiplam) costs around Rs 6.2 lakh per bottle, while Natco's generic version is priced at Rs 15,900 — a reduction of approximately 97 per cent — and that the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation has approved Natco's formulation for marketing.
Source: EuropeSays (experts' statement, Kottayam)
Muraleedharan told the Assembly that Rs 50 crore remained outstanding in payments for medicines purchased during the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government's tenure, and said the government would continue supplying the SMA medicine at the reduced price, arguing that affordable treatment would help more children access the medication, IANS reported. SAT Hospital sources had earlier said the drug being given was the same approved medicine and called the trial fears an unnecessary scare.
Source: The Hindu report via TechWordNews (Oct 20)
SMA is a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness. Treatment is expensive, making access to affordable medicines a major concern for affected families, IANS noted.
Source: IANS via Hi India