Events in April and May
I got confirmation from my contact at the hospital that the latest shipment of drugs from India reached the hospital last week. Again, the shipment contained 50 vials of doxorubicin and 10 vials of carboplatin as before.
When I spoke to my contact, he indicated that oncologists at the hospital have become dubious of the quality of the drugs in recent shipments based on apparent response of patients to treatment. Because of the poor phone connection I was unable to understand all the details and I have asked him for clarification.
The chemotherapy drugs in recent shipments have been produced in India and shipped from there. I was very careful to investigate the competency and quality control program of the supplier in India before deciding to work with them, and I have good reason to believe they are competent and well equipped to properly test and verify the quality of their products. I have asked them to provide analytical reports for the drugs delivered in recent shipments. Hopefully, such data will enable the specialists at the hospital in Mosul to make a well informed assessment of the drugs and decide whether to continue using them.
I am not sure but I suspect there may be a general suspicion of all imported drugs among Iraqi doctors. I think perhaps I need to caution the people at the hospital that there is strong reason to believe that the drugs from the Indian supplier are full strength and exactly as labeled, and that it could be unsafe to assume otherwise when administering them.
On another subject, in April there was an event dubbed a "Global Activism Expo" in Chicago sponsored by Chicago Public Radio. Here is a Link. Mr. Robert Braam attended to represent the Mosul Chemotherapy Project, and several hundred people had an opportunity to look at flyers about the project. There has so far been little that has come of it in email or comments on this blog, but perhaps someone who took home a flyer will pass it along. If you'd like to look at a PDF version of the flyer, you can find a copy by following this Link.
When I spoke to my contact, he indicated that oncologists at the hospital have become dubious of the quality of the drugs in recent shipments based on apparent response of patients to treatment. Because of the poor phone connection I was unable to understand all the details and I have asked him for clarification.
The chemotherapy drugs in recent shipments have been produced in India and shipped from there. I was very careful to investigate the competency and quality control program of the supplier in India before deciding to work with them, and I have good reason to believe they are competent and well equipped to properly test and verify the quality of their products. I have asked them to provide analytical reports for the drugs delivered in recent shipments. Hopefully, such data will enable the specialists at the hospital in Mosul to make a well informed assessment of the drugs and decide whether to continue using them.
I am not sure but I suspect there may be a general suspicion of all imported drugs among Iraqi doctors. I think perhaps I need to caution the people at the hospital that there is strong reason to believe that the drugs from the Indian supplier are full strength and exactly as labeled, and that it could be unsafe to assume otherwise when administering them.
On another subject, in April there was an event dubbed a "Global Activism Expo" in Chicago sponsored by Chicago Public Radio. Here is a Link. Mr. Robert Braam attended to represent the Mosul Chemotherapy Project, and several hundred people had an opportunity to look at flyers about the project. There has so far been little that has come of it in email or comments on this blog, but perhaps someone who took home a flyer will pass it along. If you'd like to look at a PDF version of the flyer, you can find a copy by following this Link.
posted by waldschrat at 11:20 PM
4 Comments:
Citizen of Mosul has a posting on some health statistics:
http://moslawi.blogspot.com/
I hope all is well,
b.
Hi Bob!
I saw truthteller's post about statistics some time back. Don't know if you realized it but he's been through 2 rounds of surgery for bowel cancer recently. Check out his daughter's blog at http://astarfrommosul.blogspot.com/ .
I am yet among the living and the project continues. I've been distracted by heat and smoke here recently (lots of wildfires earlier this month), and by a Harley I couldn't resist on craigslist.
I got the check you sent, and I sincerely appreciate your help.
At this point the Indian supplier is working on lining up some "cold boxes" with souped up insulation that will keep drugs cold longer in transit. I have to call Mosul and try to figure out if anything came of the effort I made to get more info on doubts they have about the doxorubicin from India.
BTW, I have not yet deposited your check. My thinking is I should wait until the next shipment is lined up and in progress.
Drive to get doctors to return:
BAGHDAD, 4 August 2008 - The Iraqi Health Ministry has set up a committee to contact medical doctors who have fled the country, and persuade them to return, a senior health official said on 3 August.
Story Link:http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=79599
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