In three regions there were problems with the dispensing of drugs for pituitary pathologies

At the beginning of 2025, patients with acromegaly and pituitary adenomas in three regions faced a shortage of vital drugs, the patient organization Velikan told Izvestia. The shortages occurred with drugs with the active substances octreotide, lanreotide and pegvisomant. All of them are included in the list of vital and essential drugs.

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As Ekaterina Andrusova, chairman of the board of the patient organization, specified, patients in Ufa, Kazan, St. Petersburg and Krasnodar faced the problem. However, in Krasnodar Krai the problem has recently been resolved. For the other three regions it is still relevant.

"In the presence of a favorable prescription, patients cannot get drugs from a pharmacy. Interruptions in drug supply have been observed since November. Such a problem occurs annually for the last three to five years," Andrusova noted.

Acromegaly is considered an orphan disease and leads to disability and reduced life expectancy by an average of 10 years, said endocrinologist Irina Matsueva-Almazova. According to her, the disease is first treated surgically, but then drug therapy is needed.

"The drugs that patients have problems with have no analogues and interruption of therapy can lead to serious consequences for patients," the expert emphasized.

According to her, interruption of medication can lead to cardiovascular pathologies, development of diabetes mellitus and its complications, respiratory diseases, as well as malignant neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract and other organs.

Read more in the exclusive material "Izvestia":

Window of refusals: three regions do not issue medicines for pituitary pathologies