In Search of Oxaliplatin

The first time my father had his chemotherapy session last month, I walked the streets until almost midnight looking for Oxaliplatin, one of the drugs he needed for his chemotherapy. I came up empty-handed so I turned to the phone directories that ended up with the same results. I googled with the same results too. I yahooed and yes, with the same results.

While I was walking anxiously in the streets at that time, I kept wondering about how can a cancer drug be unavailable from all pharmacies and drugstores, even Mercury Drug (considered as the largest drugstore in the Philippines) did not have it in stock.

By all indications, cancer stricken patients are increasing in numbers if I could based it on the people I know and on the survey results I’ve seen in the news. However, it seems that only a few people could get the cancer drugs. Because they are quite expensive (Oxaliplatin goes by almost P10,000 per 50 mg vial) and commonly unavailable from drugstores (as what I had experienced and as what was said by the drugstore staff/pharmacists), it is just no surprise that the number of cancer fatalities have increased over the years (with a lot of contribution of course from the unhealthy environment and lifestyles) even with the much-touted advances in medicine technology.

I wonder now what has the medical field have done so far to alleviate this. I wonder if the doctors ever get worried how their patients could take hold of those precious vials for their treatment. I wonder now until when would I walk the streets until midnight searching for Oxaliplatin.

For the sake of my father, I will have to. Again and again.