After Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) announced the registration of the first muscle atrophy drug to be traded in the Egyptian drug market, the announcement made it to the top of the Egyptian social media trend in general and specifically the online communities of atrophy patients for whom the announcement came as a victory and answer to long years of demands. However, inquiries about when the drug will be available in the market and how it will help the patients became under debate.
Physiotherapy Perspective
Dr. Ahmed Mokhtar, specialist in neurological physiotherapy, said that the new American drug that Egypt got approval on “Spinraza” would reduce the progress in symptoms in cases of children who were early diagnosed with muscle atrophy.
“It is an effective step since it would protect many children who may pass away at an early age as the progress reaches the respiratory and cardiac muscles”, Mokhtar added. Many child deaths in Egypt were reported because of excessive muscle atrophy.
Despite the improvement and diminish of pain, physiotherapy might have a share in, in order to treat the main cause there should be medical intervention through drug therapy, Mokhtar mentioned. “Specialized drugs contribute in modifying the genetic mutation or imbalance”.
Mokhtar said to “Trendify” that this new drug is the same one which many children trending appeals call for like “Rashid” case.
Pharmacists Syndicate comment on the drug availability
Essam Abdel Hamid, the acting head of the pharmacists syndicate, said the new drug would represent a major progress and advancement for the whole Egyptian drug industry.
Abdel Hamid added to “Trendify” that the new drug belongs to the specialized drug category due to the special nature of the causes and purposes of its use.
The country would provide Egyptian patients with the drug, which used to be imported in Dollars, at a reasonable price that would be suitable for the Egyptian patient to be able to buy.
Response of muscle atrophy community in Egypt
Ahmed Agag, the leader of an initiative advocating muscle atrophy patients’ rights in Egypt, said that the Egyptian Drug Authority approved the American drug. However, the drug is still unavailable in Egypt and not listed on the medical assurance of the muscle atrophy patients.
“It is a good step from the country’s side that we hope it would be available to all patients in order to be able to save young children from complications”, Agag said. The next step should be signing contracts and protocols with the foreign companies not only to import medication but to launch Egyptian industry lines for these medications.
Agag said to “Trendify” that the initiative he led had on top of its objectives the demands for provision of foreign medications to both patients of spinal muscular atrophy and Dushin muscular atrophy, including its four mutations.
The leader of the muscle atrophy initiative stressed on the community’s ongoing demands that include the country’s establishment of a specialized hospital in Cairo for providing muscle atrophy patients with free treatment like 57357. “A specialized hospital, inclusive of all the advanced medical devices is vigorously needed for young children in order to provide early diagnosis of their case and treatment”.