Filgrastim shortage disrupts chemotherapy in Sri Lanka as hospitals run out of supplies, prompting an emergency import of 15,000 doses.
The Filgrastim shortage affecting cancer treatment centres across Sri Lanka, including Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama, has disrupted chemotherapy treatment for some cancer patients.
Cancer specialists say chemotherapy treatments have had to be temporarily stopped because supplies of the medicine have become unavailable.
Why Filgrastim Is Critical During Chemotherapy
Filgrastim plays an important role in supporting patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy drugs can rapidly reduce white blood cells, particularly neutrophils, which help the body fight infections. Filgrastim stimulates the patient’s bone marrow, helping it produce white blood cells more quickly.
This reduces the risk of serious infections when a patient’s immune system becomes weakened during treatment. Therefore, specialists warn that proceeding with chemotherapy without the required Filgrastim support can place patients at serious risk.
A shipment containing 160,000 doses recently arrived in Sri Lanka.
Although authorities had placed the relevant labels on the main containers, the individual syringes containing the medicine reportedly lacked proper labelling. As a result, the Medical Supplies Division decided not to release the stock to hospitals.
The Filgrastim shortage has since reportedly exhausted available supplies in both government hospitals and the private healthcare sector.
Emergency Import of 15,000 Filgrastim Doses Planned
Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa addressed the crisis in Parliament on August 20.
According to the Minister, the company qualified to supply Filgrastim informed the Ministry of Health in writing that obtaining and importing another stock would take approximately three weeks.
However, authorities have now moved to secure an emergency supply.
The Health Minister held a special discussion with representatives of the Association of Cancer Specialists last Friday, August 28, to address the situation.
Following those discussions, arrangements have reportedly been made to urgently import 15,000 doses of Filgrastim by air during the coming week.
The emergency shipment is expected to address the immediate requirement while Sri Lanka waits for a larger replacement stock, as hospitals seek to prevent further disruption to chemotherapy treatment.
