Skopje, 21 January 2025 (MIA) — Health authorities have been made aware of the shortage of biologic drugs for cancer at the Oncology and Radiotherapy Clinic, Health Insurance Fund director Sasho Klekovski told MIA after patients and sources from the clinic said earlier on Tuesday the clinic had run out of biologics due to the recent rise in cancer cases nationwide and the complicated procurement procedures.

Klekovski also said the shortage of biologics was "due to inadequate planning in 2024, the transition from 2024 to 2025, and an increased number of patients in December."

He said the Health Insurance Fund had approved an additional EUR five million for the Oncology Clinic in 2024 and was drafting a higher budget for 2025.

"Despite our efforts to increase funding, the University Oncology and Radiotherapy Clinic should follow clear and transparent criteria for putting patients on special therapeutics," Klekovski said, adding that the clinic should keep a registry of patients and improve its planning and monitoring.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hema-Onko cancer patients association member Ana Marjanovikj told MIA the Oncology Clinic was unable to respond to the increasing number of patients with metastatic cancers as it had run out of biologics on Friday.

In addition to new cancer cases, she said another reason for the shortage was that biological therapy treatments helped people with cancer live longer. "Which is why they need to take this therapy longer," she added.

Since Friday, cancer patients have been unable to fill their prescriptions for the lung cancer drug atezolizumab (tecentriq), the metastatic colorectal cancer medication bevacizumab (avastin), the breast cancer growth blockers palbociclib and ribociclib, the advanced breast cancer treatment fulvestrant as well as the advanced bowel cancer, head cancer and neck cancer drug cetuximab.

Hema-Onko members are afraid that soon there will also be a shortage of the breast cancer treatment trastuzumab emtansine (kadcyla), the immunotherapy drugs nivolumab and cobimetinib as well as the metastatic melanoma cancer growth blocker vemurafenib.

Sources from the Oncology and Radiotherapy Clinic confirmed to MIA that the clinic had run out of biologic medications for cancer and was working on overcoming the shortage. They said the shortage was due to "administrative procedures" and "the continuous increase in the number of cancer patients." mr/