Shortage of Thalassemia injections increases risk

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KARACHI: Patients suffering from Thalassemia need to go through blood transfusion on regular basis due to which excessive iron is accumulated in the body. A special kind of injection, used to drain out excessive iron from patient’s body, is not available now imposing threats to patients’ lives.

According to a representative of a pharmaceutical company, the demand for these injections has increased and it is not possible to meet the demand on immediate basis.

Earlier these injections used to reach Pakistan via Iran but for the past one year, it is not happening resulting in the shortage of these injections, said doctors.

Within three months, more than 2000 nanograms of extra iron is needed to be injected out from patients’ body through a special injection. These injections are scarce now due to which doctors are also facing difficulties in treating Thalassemia patients.

Due to the non-availability of injections, the inflated amount of iron is not being removed from patients’ bodies which is life threatening.