Health Ministry recommends alternative drugs after Actemra shortage

ISLAMABAD: The shortage of Actemra vials, life-saving injectable drug for critical Covid-19 patients, has been reported across the world including Pakistan, the Ministry of National Health said in a statement.

Various world health bodies have recommended alternative drugs to Actemra in view of the global shortage of the medicine, the health ministry stated. The doctors across the world are prescribing alternative medicines to Actemra to the patients, the ministry further stated.

Actemra used to be injected to the serious patients of Covid-19 with affected lungs, according to the ministry.

The medicine with formulae name of Tocilizumab, being sold under the brand name Actemra, according to the health ministry.

According to the ministry, two other medicines Baricitinib and Tofacitinib could be used as alternatives to Actemra, which is an immunosuppressive drug, used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, a severe form of arthritis in children.

It is to be mentioned here that Roche, the sponsor of tocilizumab (Actemra), has recently announced shortage of the medicine due to global demand in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.