Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1) — Like other countries, the Philippines is facing a supply shortage of tocilizumab, a drug used to treat patients with severe or critical COVID-19, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Wednesday.
“Nagkakaproblema tayo. May global supply shortage sa tocilizumab,” he said during the hearing of the health committee of the House of Representatives.
[Translation: We have a problem. There’s a global supply shortage of tocilizumab.]
“Marami pong natawag sakin at nagte-text, humihingi ng tulong, at yan po ang tutugunan natin,” he added.
[Many have been contacting me, asking for help, and that’s what we’ll try to address.]
Duque said the Department of Health is now looking for other sources of the drug, which is also given to people with certain types of arthritis. A manufacturer based in India is among the prospects, he added.
The health chief also assured there are enough stocks of other COVID-19 drugs.
The supply woes come amid the surge in new COVID-19 infections in the country, with the total tally breaching the two-million mark on Wednesday.
On Monday, the country recorded an all-time high of 22,000 new cases, while the death toll saw a three-digit increase for 14 days straight until Tuesday.
