March 24 (Reuters) – The European Union’s medicines regulator said on Tuesday it expects Baxter International’s cancer drugs containing ifosfamide will remain in shortage in the bloc well into the first quarter of next year.
Ifosfamide is used by itself or in combination with other therapies to treat multiple cancers including testicular, small cell and cervical cancers.
The European Medicines Agency said the shortage was due to a technical disruption at Baxter’s contract manufacturing site, but did not disclose details.
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* Baxter is the primary supplier of ifosfamide across theEU. * The brands, Holoxan, Tronoxal and Mitoxana, containifosfamide either as the main ingredient or as a combinationwith other drugs. * Manufacturing and release of ifosfamide‑containingproducts had halted in September, but their production has nowresumed, albeit at a constrained level. * The regulator last month had also warned of a shortage ofanother cancer drug by Baxter, cyclophosphamide – a keyingredient in Endoxan, Sendoxan and Genoxal – until the firstquarter of next year due to a site disruption. * The shortages come at a time when the Middle East war isalready threatening to disrupt the flow of medicines amidrestricted air transit and closed shipping routes. * Baxter did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requestfor comment.
(Reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
