Haemophilia patients struggle to afford expensive Factor VII vials

DEMAND While the drug is available free of cost in Haryana and J&K, Punjab is yet to follow suit

PATHANKOT:Haemophilia patients in the state are struggling to afford medicines for the disease due to costly nature of it as even Punjab government was yet to make the treatment (at the advanced stage) free. Haemophilia patients at advanced stage require expensive Factor VII injections to survive. One vial of factor seven costs around ₹45,000.

Haemophilia is a genetic disorder that impairs body’s ability to make blood clots. Around 15 patients in the state require regular doses of Factor VII injection, but the dearness of the drug has added to the financial distress of these patients.

Recently, the state government had provided financial relief to patients (at initial stage) requiring factors eight and nine vials by making free, but patients at requiring Factor VII vials are yet to get the government’s support.

Factor VII vials are provided free of cost in the neighbouring states of Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir.

Ankush Gupta, 32, a resident of Ludhiana, says he wants to end his life as he cannot afford Factor VII injections. “I can not spend around ₹2 lakh every time I need the factor. Many states offer free treatment in the advanced stage of haemophilia, but in Punjab ,we have to bear the treatment expenses ourselves. We are registered with the Haemophilia Federation of India (HFI), but to no avail,” he said.

Anu Deep, a Dinanagar resident, whose son need Factor VII vials, says, beside the pain, the financial burden adds to the misery of patients and their kin. Punjab should take a cue from other states and administer free doses of the drug to such patients, she said.

“There are altogether 363 patients suffering from this disease in Punjab, out of which, 321 patients suffer from Haemophilia A while 42 from Haemophilia B,” health minister Brahm Mohindra said, adding that around 260 patients are receiving free treatment from government medical colleges in Amritsar, Faridkot and Patiala, and remaining 103 patients are being treated at Christian Medical College & Hospital, Ludhiana.

“The state government is already providing anti-haemophilia factors free of cost in the three medical colleges from May 2018. But, for Factor VII , tender for procurement of anti-haemophilia factors were in process at Punjab Health System Corporation, Mohali,” he said. The process to make available Factor VII free of cost will take some time, the other factors were already being provided free, the health minister said.

“To detect and follow up the haemophilia cases, two coagulometers(semi-auto) will soon be installed at GMC Amritsar and Patiala while Faridkot already has this facility. Even the district hospitals at Bathinda, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mansa, Moga, Ropar and Sangrur will be also provided this facility soon,” he added.

Explaining about the disease, Senior medical officer (SMO) Dr Bhupinder Singh of Pathankot said that there are two major types of hemophilia-- type A and type B. Haemophilia A, which lacks clotting factor 8, accounts for about 80 percent cases of haemophilia, while About 70 percent of patients with haemophilia A have the severe form, he said.

Haemophilia B, also known as “Christmas disease” , lacks clotting factor 9, and it occurs in one in every 20,000 males born worldwide, SMO Singh informed.

Both A and B could be mild, moderate or severe, depending on patients. “In the primary stage, patients with haemophilia A are administered factor 8, but over the time these patients develope resistance and they need Factor VII ,” the SMO said.

The cost of factor 8 and 9, which are now free in Punjab, was ₹2500 per vial.