Major cancer treatment shortage will lead to bladder removals (UK)

Telegraph (UK) ^ | 7/11/12 | Stephen Adams, Medical Correspondent

[Nachum]

Supplies of a type of BCG used to treat bladder cancer have been completely halted due to a flood at a factory in Canada.

The bacterium, which stimulates the immune system to fight cancer, is used on about 6,000 patients a year. In more than half of them it can stop cancer spreading almost indefinitely.

But Sanofi Pastuer, which makes the most widely-used product, called Immunocyst, does not expect production to restart before late 2013, according to a letter to doctors from Professor Sir Mike Richards, the NHS cancer ‘csar’.

He warned it was now “almost inevitable” that patients would have to go without treatment.

[Nachum]

O-Death care

[sinsofsolarempirefan]

Even the most cursory glance at the article should tell you that this has absolutely nothing to do with death panels, Obamacare, or NHS rationing or any of the usual evils, but is the result of an accident at the factory in which the drug is made.

What I want to know is, why is there only one factory in the whole wide world that makes this vital drug? This is a major logistical weakness...

[MNDude]

That’s really tragic. My dad BCG treatment last year. how does someone live without a bladder? Cathedor connected straight to kidney?

[SargeK]

If people only knew how MANY life-saving/preserving drugs were on a razor’s edge, they’d be very astounded. Flu vaccines, etc have production throughput limitations and single point of failure vulnerabilities that are frightening.

[jrd]

reading a bit closer it says “But Sanofi Pastuer, which makes the most widely-used product, called Immunocyst, does not expect production to restart before late 2013,” they are not the only makers of BCG

[NY.SS-Bar9]

There is more than one factory. And this is not the only factory with production problems.

There are two major strains of BCG used to treat BC - made by different companies and there are significant differences in outcome relative to the strain used.

Supplies of BCG have been reported to be tight lately, but available with the remaining manufacturers increasing production.

[NY.SS-Bar9]

Google “neobladder”

[COUNTrecount]

Very interesting!

Could you please tell me the name of the company and the strain that gets the best results?

Thank you.

[NY.SS-Bar9]

CHICAGO — Use of the Connaught strain of bacillus Calmette-Guérin, an adjuvant immunotherapy used in the treatment of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, significantly reduced cancer recurrence compared with the Tice strain

[COUNTrecount]

THANK YOU so much!