NKTI suspends dispensing of remdesivir, tocilizumab due to critical supply

National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI)

MANILA, Philippines — The National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City said it temporarily suspended the dispensing of remdesivir and tocilizumab to COVID-19 patients outside the hospital due to critical supply.

“Our stock is already critical, and we have not been receiving stock from the supplier,” said  NKTI Director Rose Marie Liquete in an interview with CNN Philippines on Tuesday.

According to Liquete, the hospital currently has 115 COVID-positive patients of which most are severe to critical patients and more than half are on dialysis.

Apart from this, 60 patients are still waiting in the hospital’s emergency room.

“In a few days there will not be enough anymore because every day we are increasing, last week mga 100 lang, 107, today we have 115. If you compute the [needs] of each patient who are severe to critical, ubos lahat yun (nothing is left),” said Liquete.

“If we don’t get the stock from tocilizumab for example within this week, wala na ‘yan (nothing will be left),” she added.

Remdesivir and tocilizumab are drugs used to treat severe to critical COVID-19 cases.

NKTI also previously announced it would stop dispensing hemoperfusion cartridges to non-NKTI patients as their stock of these cartridges is limited as well.

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