Senior Hematologist Highlights Relevance Of Medication For Blood Cancer

Head of Clinical Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Department, Dow University of Health Sciences, Dr Farrukh Ali Khan here on Thursday suggested early registration of second generation of medicines/drugs required to treat blood cancer in the country

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Oct, 2019 ):Head of Clinical Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Department, Dow University of Health Sciences, Dr Farrukh Ali Khan here on Thursday suggested early registration of second generation of medicines/drugs required to treat blood cancer in the country.

Addressing a session organized as part of the Dow - DICE Health Exhibition - 2019, he cited significantly higher recovery rates among blood cancer (CML) patients placed on medication as a remarkable achievement of medical science.

Emphasizing that drug therapy is considerably cost effective as compared to bone marrow transplantation, the senior hematologist said it would be highly appropriate that needed drugs are made readily available in the country.

"This is so as concerned patients placed on drug therapy in local settings have also registered better recovery," he said while appreciative of the Sindh government for arranging anti-cancer medicines free of cost for patients undergoing first phase of therapy.

Dr. Farrukh Ali Khan regretted that Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) is yet to register medicines required for second phase of blood cancer treatment, although their efficacy is well established.

The hematologist said situation has turned these drugs highly expensive and is effecting the treatment process for many of the patients who otherwise can have early cure against the disease which till a few years ago was considered to be a terminal disease.

Reply to a question, he said currently even the complex type of blood cancer (CML) can be treated with medicines.

He mentioned that the only active stem cell bank, across the province, was presently functional only at Dow University of Health Sciences.

To another query, he said if blood cancer spreads rapidly and medication does not help then there is no other way to save lives except bone marrow transplantation.