Nepal's Drug Administration Moves to End Two-Month Cancer Drug Shortage with Minimum Stock System
核心洞察
Nepal's Department of Drug Administration (搜索) reports that the two-month shortage of chemotherapy drugs Carboplatin and Cisplatin will be resolved within days through facilitated imports.
Cancer (搜索) patients in Nepal require approximately 1,000 vials of Carboplatin and 600 vials of Cisplatin per month, with multiple hospitals and pharmacies now designated to distribute these medicines.
The Drug Management Department is preparing a minimum stock system targeting life-saving and orphan drugs to prevent future shortages caused by pricing disputes, import irregularities, and commercial disincentives.
Nepal's Department of Drug Administration (搜索) (DDA) has announced that the two-month-long shortage of essential chemotherapy drugs will be resolved within days, as authorities move to facilitate imports and implement systemic reforms to prevent future disruptions in the supply of life-saving medications.
Kiransundar Bajracharya, Information Officer at the Department of Drug Administration (搜索), confirmed that chemotherapy drugs will soon be readily available to patients. "We will soon facilitate the import of drugs and make them easily available to patients," Bajracharya said.
The shortage has affected critical chemotherapy agents including Carboplatin and Cisplatin, with cancer (搜索) patients across Nepal requiring an estimated 1,000 vials of Carboplatin and 600 vials of Cisplatin per month. To address distribution, the department has designated multiple healthcare facilities and pharmaceutical companies to handle these medicines, including Janaki Hospital Nepalgunj, Purbanchal Cancer Hospital Birtamod, Birat Medical College Biratnagar, Babina Pharma Pokhara, Poonam Pharmacy Dharan, Ambassador Pvt. Ltd. Bharatpur, Malla Pharmaceuticals Pokhara, Taj Nepal Pvt. Ltd. Kathmandu, DKM Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd. Kathmandu, Sijal Pharma, and Anmol Health Care Kathmandu.
Pawan Acharya, President of the Nepal Drug Suppliers Association (搜索), acknowledged the financial challenges involved, stating that suppliers are importing the medicine to Nepal even though it is expensive to prevent shortages in patient treatment. He expressed confidence that shortages will cease once the government adjusts pricing.
Systemic Reforms: Minimum Stock System
Beyond the immediate crisis response, the Drug Management Department is developing a minimum stock system to address recurring drug shortages. Shivani Khadgi, acting director general of the department, explained that shortages arise because not all registered drugs are regularly produced or imported, and pricing disputes have been a primary driver of supply disruptions.
"There was an extreme shortage of cancer (搜索) treatment drugs some time ago, and there is still a shortage of cancer drugs," Khadgi stated, noting that the shortage of paracetamol and life-saving drugs during the COVID-19 period was also linked to pricing issues.
The planned minimum stock system will specifically target "orphan drugs" used for rare diseases, which are commercially less profitable and therefore unattractive to producers and importers. "While such drugs are not needed regularly, if they are not available when needed, patients' lives are at risk," the department noted. The initiative will be coordinated with the Department of Health Services, hospitals, and other concerned bodies.
Khadgi elaborated on the registration challenges: "We are currently registering all producer companies whose processes are correct when they come to register any drug. Shortages are occasionally caused by importers; we have licenses, but some do not produce. There are also situations where there is a shortage in the market because some do not import."
Domestic Production and Self-Sufficiency Goals
The department has outlined plans to compile a list of life-saving drugs that are imported through special recommendation or registered in very small quantities, with the aim of ensuring either domestic production or regular import. The government has set a target of achieving at least 80 percent self-sufficiency in essential medicines and will encourage domestic pharmaceutical industries to move toward production of these critical drugs.
Regulatory Challenges
The department continues to face significant regulatory hurdles, including the entry of unregistered, substandard, and counterfeit drugs through Nepal's open border with India. A counterfeit version of the drug "Seroflo" was recently discovered in the market. Khadgi acknowledged the difficulty: "Due to the open border, we are facing difficulties in regulation because the Department of Drug Management and the National Drug Laboratory do not have a permanent presence at the customs points."
Additionally, the department has been unable to conduct foreign drug industry inspections (GMP inspections) required for new drug registration for the past three years. While files recommended by the GMP committee have been forwarded to the ministry, a decision remains pending. The department plans to resume foreign industry inspections regularly according to the annual program starting this year and prioritize new drug registration.
Regarding the alleged shortage of rabies vaccine, Khadgi stated that the department has not received any official information confirming a shortage, though she acknowledged that delays in the government procurement process may have affected vaccine supply. The procurement process is reportedly in its final stages. All human-use vaccines in Nepal are import-dependent, with only veterinary vaccines produced domestically.