E-drug: [e-drug] Re: USA Today on donations (cont)
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Dear Chris,
I am definitely against that kind of donations. If you have not followed
our discussions in the past, I recommend you to search our archives at
http://www.healthnet.org/programs/edrug.html, or visit Wemos' website
http://www.drugdonations.org/eng.
Briefly, there is no sustainability in a donations containing leftovers.
Instead of giving patients the proper treatment for the condition, we end
up giving may be the wrong drugs, having to stop treatment before it is
finished because we run out of drugs etc. Treatment with cytotoxics as was
one of the therapeutic classes mentioned here requires quite extensive
laboratory monitoring, iv fluids, drugs for side effects etc. What do we
know of the availability of such when we only focus on one aspect? That in
itself give patients false expectations.
The drugs have been recycled with the risks involved, and in this case
dumped in the backyard of someone without pharmaceutical expertise.
We are rich enough to help in other ways. From a non-profit supplier, you
would get good quality drugs in much larger quantities for a reasonable
amount of money. And we need to respect the choices a country make as to
what drugs it would like to receive, or in fact offer them donation in
cash. And the drugs should pass through the proper distribution channels.
If Americans, like many others, get much more drugs than they need from
their doctor, something should be done to stop this overprescribing instead
of dumping the surplus in developing countries.
I felt USAToday was supporting this type of donations - that was what I
tried to say. I am not sure I understand your comment fully either - do you
mean there should be two types of donations with different rules such as
the newspaper seems to suggest?
Because we have had several discussions on this before, I have been brief
in my comments - it is much more to be said!
Regards
Kirsten
Kirsten Myhr, MScPharm, MPH
Bygdoy alle 58B
0265 Oslo, Norway
Tel.: +47 22 56 05 85
myhr@online.no
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