Friday, May 13, 2011

By the Chronicle Journal

Thunder Bay’s cancer centre is working to ensure a supply of cancer drugs in the face of a nation-wide shortage.

“Like many others in the province, our supply is impacted by North American supply chain challenges including manufacturing,” Dr. Dimitrios Vergidis, chief of oncology at Regional Cancer Care Northwest, said Monday.

“In the event of a prolonged shortage, the Regional Cancer Program may experience a shortage of one drug called carboplatin. Ongoing communication with our vendor suggests we may avert any disruption in patient care in the near term,” Vergidis said. If drug shortages become an issue, Regional Cancer Care will work with Cancer Care Ontario to develop alternate treatment approaches, he said.

Carboplatin is used to treat breast, lung, ovarian and other cancers. The drug is made in several plants world-wide, and those are working to increase their output to meet demand, Canadian suppliers said last week.

Vergidis said there will be no interruptions to planned treatment at Regional Cancer Care using carboplatin in the near term. That includes treatments for in-hospital patients, as well as outpatients, he said.

The exact cause of the shortage is unknown, as drug manufacturing is a function of the private sector and there is no way to monitor overall drug supplies, he said.

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