LAHORE - Various lifesaving drugs have disappeared from the market, adding to the woes of patients as there is hardly any substitute for these medicines.
Shortage of essential drugs has put the lives and even health of patients fighting against lethal diseases at risk. In case of availability of any substitute, physicians have little or even no confidence. Prices of alternative drugs are also much higher as compared to the reliable and tested medicines, commonly known as orphan drugs in medical community.
Lifesaving drugs including Thyroxine, Phenobarbitone, Solucartes, Decadron, Deltacortril, Xanax, Neuxam, Zinacef, Rivotril, Typhoid Vaccine and Snake Venom have gone missing from shelves at pharmacies. These essential drugs are not available at wholesale markets and retailers including outlets of all leading chain of pharmacies.
Thyroxine is an important drug used in the management of thyroid hormone deficiency, Phenobarbitone tab is given to control epileptic seizures (fits), Solucartes Inj for controlling reaction of other drugs (allergy), Decadron Inj is multi-purpose drug given to patients carrying asthma or inflamed joints, Deltacortril tab is important steroid, Xanax tab and Neuxam tab for anxiety, panic attack and depression,  Zinacef syp is an antibiotic for managing pneumonia and infections in adults and children, Rivotril tab for anxiety and depression among adults and children, Typhoid Vaccine is a shield against this lethal disease and Snake Venom for saving life after a snake bite.
Physicians, pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers, retailers and government officials gave varying reasons of unavailability of essential drugs. Medical community believes that lack of interest and absence of proper mechanism to safeguard the interests of the suffering humanity is the reason behind the regular shortage of orphan drugs.
Despite increase in the prices of orphan drugs, multinational companies pay no attention to meet the requirements of the patients as these medicines gave less profit. Multinational companies prefer marketing of other profit-oriented medicines to earn more money. Local companies also show least interest in manufacturing these drugs due to the same reason. The community urged the government to develop proper monitoring mechanism and ensure that the companies market orphan drugs as per requirements of the suffering humanity. Retailers say that lifesaving drugs are not available as multinational and local manufacturing companies are not supplying these in the required quantity. They say that huge demand and less supply also encouraged hoarding and profiteering which is a criminal act.