For anyone who remembers, my dad is undergoing treatment for Bladder Cancer. It is at the moment under control after 5 years, but he has to have BCG maintenance every 6 months to keep it that way. He went to start his next course of treatment last week to be told that there is a countrywide shortage of the BCG serium due to a change of something (sorry, could not take in what she was saying as so upset). They have no idea at all when it will be available again and I was told not to phone the Doctor or Surgeon because they would not know either. The nurse then told me that it didn't matter that my dad wasn't getting it yet anyway because it was only a maintenance course and a few months wouldn't matter. It MUST matter, I would have thought, else he wouldn't have to have it.

Sorry to rant, only so upset that this has happened just dad has got the better of the cancer at last.

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Bengals-the gateway to a new group of friends.

So sorry to hear about your dad's dilemma.

I live in Utah, USA and am an oncology nurse.

The shortage of chemo and other drugs is getting truly ridiculous. I see patients in the hospital regularly who have had treatment delayed or changed to a different (and less optimal) regimen due to drug shortage. This has a devastating effect on their life expectancy and, more importantly, their quality of life.

It's all about cost. Chemo drugs are ridiculously expensive. Those receiving these drugs often don't have money or insurance to pay. Our oncologists do a LOT of pro-bono work, bless their hearts.

Drug companies are a business, I really understand that. However, their need for maximum profit which drives their business, results in reduction in production of the drugs that give them the lowest profit margin. This include chemotherapy meds. Even certain common pain and anxiety medications are regularly in short supply.

It breaks my heart when people cannot get necessary medications.

Sorry for the rant....this just yanks my chain!

Good luck to your dad and your family.

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~ Kyenta

Thanks for your reply. It seems like we had just got there and beaten it...and now this. Hopefully it won't put him too far behind. I'll keep posting here in case anyone is interested. Hopefully next time I post we will have good news.

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Bengals-the gateway to a new group of friends.