Four Thousand Vials of 'Carboplatin' Medicine Arriving in Nepal

Kathmandu. Four thousand vials of 'Carboplatin' medicine, used in chemotherapy during cancer treatment, are entering Nepal. With the coordination of the Department of Drug Management, drug importers are bringing four thousand vials of 'Carboplatin' medicine from India.

By this evening, Saturday, five hundred vials of 150 mg 'Carboplatin' will arrive. Similarly, by Tuesday, one thousand four hundred vials of 450 mg and two thousand one hundred vials of 150 mg will arrive, informed Pawan Acharya, President of the Drug Importers Association.

Acharya said, 'Records of the medicine received will be kept, and the plan is to provide the medicine only based on a patient's prescription. In normal circumstances, four thousand vials are sufficient for 45 days.'

These medicines, mainly imported from India and Bangladesh, are out of stock in the market. Drug importers say that this medicine, which has an annual consumption of 24 thousand vials, is currently out of stock.

Stakeholders say that the shortage of Carboplatin and Cisplatin medicines is due to the increase in raw material prices in the global market, the non-adjustment of medicine prices in Nepal, and the rise in the dollar. Health Minister Nisha Mehta had recently directed to facilitate the supply and management of medicines that are currently in short supply in the market.

Following the monitoring by the Department of Drug Management, she directed to ensure that there is no shortage of medicines, including those for cancer.