An insulin product used by patients with Type 1 diabetes is in short supply in Pakistan after its German manufacturer halted supplies while upgrading its products, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Nelson Azeem said on Friday.
Responding to a matter raised by MNA Syeda Amna Batool in the National Assembly, Azeem said there had been no shortage until June, with stocks available until September. However, supplies from Germany were disrupted in October, leading to the current shortage.
“The impact of the shortage is being felt not just here, but across Asia, as well as in Australia and Europe,” Azeem said. “The product will be available as soon as international supplies are restored.”
The secretary further said alternative insulin products with the same dosage and mode of action were readily available in Pakistan and that patients could switch to them on their doctors’ recommendation.
“The product is manufactured in Germany. It is an issue that we are trying to resolve,” he said.
However, Batool expressed concern about the difficulties patients could face in switching treatments. She said the alternatives were at least 20 per cent more expensive and that many patients did not have access to doctors.
“Currently, around 34.5 million people in Pakistan have Type 1 diabetes, including children,” she said. “Alternatives are not readily available. Has the health ministry or the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) ensured their easy availability?”
Azeem asserted the German manufacturer had previously supplied 3,500 kits, but supplies had now fallen to 1,000 kits and could decline further during the year-long upgrade process.
He said the health ministry had asked distributors importing the product to arrange supplies, but acknowledged that this would be difficult because the manufacturer had halted production.
On Tuesday, authorities had denied reports of a widespread insulin shortage in the country, saying that only one brand was unavailable.
“Insulin glulisine (Apidra, Sanofi) is currently unavailable due to international supply constraints. Alternate rapid-acting analogues within the same pharmacological class, specifically insulin aspart (NovoRapid, Novo Nordisk) and insulin lispro (Humalog, Eli Lilly), are readily available nationwide,” health ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah had said, adding that all other primary insulin classes remained fully accessible across Pakistan.
Separately, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has rejected reports of a flu vaccine shortage in Pakistan, saying vaccines remain available in the market despite the unavailability of specific multinational brands.
Speaking to the media, Kamal said the issue concerned particular brands whose requested prices had not yet received approval from the federal government.
“The flu vaccine is present in the market, and there are several brands of flu vaccines available,” the minister said.
His remarks came as medical store owners in Lahore reported that flu vaccines were largely unavailable, with only a Chinese-manufactured vaccine reaching the market in limited quantities.
According to the store owners, the limited supply has pushed the price of a vaccine previously available for Rs1,200 to Rs1,640.