Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa has acknowledged a shortage of Filgrastim injections at government hospitals and assured Parliament that steps are being taken to address the immediate shortage within a week.
The issue was raised in Parliament today by MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, who said the medicine, used in chemotherapy, bone marrow transplantation and other cancer treatments, was in short supply at the Apeksha Hospital in Maharagama and other state hospitals.
Rasamanickam said patients were reportedly being forced to purchase Filgrastim from private pharmacies for between Rs. 17,000 and Rs. 23,000 per injection, while Neupogen injections were reportedly being sold for between Rs. 20,000 and Rs. 30,000 in some areas.
Responding, Minister Jayatissa acknowledged the shortage in hospitals since July and said a special medical team had been appointed to address the issue.
He said the annual requirement for this injection of 300 micrograms was about 300,000 per year, with a daily requirement of this injection at around 900. “The monthly requirement for the Maharagama Apeksha Hospital is around 9,750 while the daily requirement is around 325,” he detailed.
The order for the year 2026 of 310,000 vials had been placed in January 2025, he said, while the order for the year 2027 had been placed in December 2025.
In May this year, 160,000 vials were brought down from China out of the order placed for 2027, the Minister said. “However, the syringe had not been labelled properly as required by the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA). Only the cardboard packaging had the label, which was a major deviation in procurement regulations set by the NMRA,” he said.
Jayatissa said the immediate shortage was expected to be resolved within a week with instructions given to procure medicines through air cargo, while procurement through the regular process could take at least six weeks.
Rasamanickam called for continuous monitoring of Filgrastim stocks at government hospitals and a long-term procurement mechanism to prevent future shortages. (Newswire)
