I had a relapse 8 weeks ago. 5 different doctors refused to supply the only known way of immediately stopping the inflammation which causes relapses, corticosteroids. I did eventually get some after 6 weeks of massive effort, during which I went from being able to walk 500 yards unassisted to 100 yards, very slowly and precariously, with a stick. And the reason I couldn’t get the drug? In a £290 private appointment, a neurologist admitted its because Pfizer don’t make enough money from manufacturing the drug. Unbelievable. Anyone else had problems with this?
What was the name of the drug you needed?
Not sure I know anywhere near enough about drug supplies but I’m kind of puzzled. Surely Pfizer aren’t the only company producing corticosteroids? Have you asked the MS Society or MS Trust about this?
Not that it’s any consolation to you but , from what I understand, steroids don’t make any difference to the final outcome of a relapse but simply speed up the recovery- with or without steroids it’s unlikely to be a full recovery.
Is it your understanding that they actually stop a relapse?
Yes some major problems getting steroids here in south east London. I was prescribed a five day course about 5 weeks ago. My mum picked them up from the pharmacy and they only had 4 day’s supply. Said they would give her the last day which they couldn’t, apparently out of stock everywhere. My mum really pressed them and in the end the pharmacist called around to try to get supply. It was all very stressful and frustrating for my poor mum but in the end she managed to go and pick them up but had to go far and wide.
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I work in a pharmacy, and there are a lot of stock shortages or items we can’t get at a price we will be paid for.For example, the cost of the drug might be £10, but we would only be paid £5 from the government. That is not including staff costs, rent, overheads, bags, labels etc.
Of course each pharmacy has many customers who could be on the same medication and although we do our best we can’t keep taking the hit - that is why so many pharmacies are closing, roughly 10 per week! yet the government are telling people to go to their local pharmacy
You have touched on a particular annoyance of mine. My GP surgery is one for sending out reminders of what we should do - who we need to see if we have various symptoms. They all involve phoning someone else/ some other service which, of course, is busy. Sometimes it seems like going round in circles