Skopje, 21 January 2025 (MIA) — Due to the increase in new cases of cancer nationwide and the complicated procurement of cancer drugs, the Oncology and Radiology Clinic has run out of biologic medications for cancer, patients and sources from the clinic told MIA.

"The Oncology Clinic is unable to respond to the increasing number of patients with metastatic cancers, which is one of the reasons for this shortage," Hema-Onko cancer patients association member Ana Marjanovikj said.

Marjanovikj 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.

She said the clinic had run out of the biologics on Friday.

Since then, cancer patients have not been able 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.

According to Marhanovikj, the national Positive List of Prescribed Drugs needs to be updated to include the life-saving medications. She said she hoped the country's health authorities would realize the urgency of the situation and act accordingly.

"We once again urge the Ministry and the Health Fund to find an immediate solution for patients who have been left with no therapy during this time, but also to work on a solution for these same medications to be on the Positive List in the future," she told MIA.

Sources from the Oncology and Radiotherapy Clinic confirmed to MIA that the clinic had run out of biologic medications for cancer. They said the shortage was "a result of administrative procedures, which are being implemented in line with the 2024 budget."

"This budget was drafted during the previous year, based on estimates at the time that do not fully reflect the current needs of the clinic," the Oncology Clinic sources said.

"The continuous increase in the number of cancer patients should also be taken into account," they said.

The sources also pointed out "the complexity of the administrative and financial processes related to the procurement of drugs."

However, the clinic was taking measures to better plan procurements and simplify procedures in cooperation with the Health Insurance Fund and the Ministry of Health, they said.

"We believe that with these measures, the current shortage will be overcome as soon as possible," they said.

In the meantime, they added, medical staff were following doctors' recommendations and treatment protocols and giving patients other cancer drugs currently available at the clinic. mr/