Hepatitis C treatment: Produce cheap injections immediately, orders PAC

Locally produced treatment, stalled on embezzlement charges, can reduce costs of cure.

ISLAMABAD:

A Public Accounts Committee (PAC) panel has ordered that the production of low-cost interferon injections, aimed at curing Hepatitis C, be started immediately. The order follows a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiry into why the process has been continuously delayed over the last few years.

Headed by Yasmeen Rehman, the PAC subcommittee ordered on Monday to bring the low cost injection into the market within the next two months. It also constituted a steering committee to take the research forward and market it. An oversight committee was also constituted to take the “national cause to its logical end”.

The panel took the decisions in light of the recommendations given by a three-member committee headed by Dr Samar Mubarakmand. The committee proposed a comprehensive roadmap, which was largely endorsed by the panel.

A team of local scientists successfully manufactured the interferon injection in 2004, but the entire process was stalled and the core team of researchers punished after inquiries were opened against them on charges of embezzlement of research funds. Later, however, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) gave a clean chit to Dr Riazuddin, who played the pivotal role in successfully manufacturing the product.

Allegedly, however, multinational pharmaceutical companies and a former secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Irfan Nadeem were behind this stalling process, according to the PAC.

NAB Operations Director Zahir Shah informed the PAC panel that the anti-corruption watchdog has formally started an inquiry into the case on November 12. He said the bureau has taken over the record of the case from the FIA.

Shah said NAB was conducting the inquiry on account of delaying and sabotaging the research process, the wastage of 100,000 interferon injections and wastage of material meant to prepare another one million injections. The crucial issue of the loss of human lives during this period and the financial implications of this delay in marketing the product were part of the inquiry, he added.

“NAB will not touch the present administration (of the science and technology ministry) but former officials will definitely be interrogated,” Shah added.

Science and Technology Secretary Akhlaq Tarar said in the meeting that hindrances were also created at the approval stage by the devolved health ministry. As a result, NAB may include former health director general Dr Rashid Jumma in its inquiry.

Injection’s exponential benefits

Dr Riazuddin, who attended Monday’s meeting, said the production cost of locally manufactured injection would be Rs50 to Rs55 per injection as compared to the injection imported from the US, which costs Rs900. The PAC panel directed the authorities concerned to sell the injection in the range of Rs70. Riazuddin said at Rs70, the treatment would cost only Rs3,960 for a hepatitis patient as compared to Rs64,800 that a patient would spend on US-made injections.

The committee had called two former secretaries of the ministry of science and technology who played crucial roles in the initial phases of research. Khawaja Zaheer Ahmad, the former secretary, said ‘certain jokers’ had not wanted the plans for the injection to move forward.

Another former secretary, Kashif Murtaza, said that in late 2009 it had been decided to start clinical trials before bringing the product into the market. He said that even if there were complaints of embezzlement, these should have been treated separately and the project should not have been stalled.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2012.