Heart disease sufferers could go without treatment amid drug shortage in Northern Territory

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Hundreds of people living with rheumatic heart disease across the Territory could go without vital treatment over the next month. Benzathine benzylpenicillin, known as Bicillin, is crucial to treating rheumatic heart disease. But a letter from NT Health to clinicians reveals its temporary supply of the drug has been exhausted.

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00:00Every 21 days since she was eight years old,

00:05Rachelle has received an injection of bisolin to treat rheumatic heart disease.

00:09I had sore joints, specifically like my knees.

00:13I couldn't really walk. It was like affecting my ability to walk.

00:18Sore throat. That's how it started.

00:21The medicine has been in short supply globally since 2023.

00:25Now, in a letter seen by the ABC, NT Health has warned its temporary supplier has run out of the product.

00:32To support continuity of care, the TGA extended approval for temporary supply of the French brand Extensilin.

00:38Extensilin is now depleted, with no further importation from France possible.

00:43I can't even bring words. We have such a high number and if people couldn't access that medication,

00:50then our clinics are already understaffed and we already have issues with people accessing the medication.

00:58The Northern Territory has the highest rates of rheumatic fever among First Nations people in the country,

01:03five times higher than that of Western Australia.

01:06The high demand has sent clinicians across the territory on a wild goose chase for bisolin.

01:10But even the suppliers listed as backup options by NT Health aren't delivering fast enough, or at all.

01:16Malala Health Service in Maningrida received just 20 of an expected 200 doses in a recent order.

01:22And it's not just rheumatic heart disease patients that could suffer as a result.

01:26At the moment the Northern Territory is going through a bit of a syphilis outbreak,

01:30and that is the medication of choice in order to treat syphilis.

01:34In a statement, NT Health said supplies are being carefully managed to ensure people who need the medicine continue to receive it.

01:40But it's no reassurance to clinicians like Ms Gatti, who will need to ration 30 doses among more than 170 patients over the next month.

01:48By maybe needing to delay the administration of bisolin to anyone who isn't a P1 or P2.

01:56We're leaving days at risk where they may actually develop worsening conditions and a worsening rheumatic heart disease.

02:04The issue is set to persist until at least September.

02:08We're leaving days at Yuckoo and Salaman and David, in the knownynaston.

02:16We were leaving days at risk where we did the northern Slide 14 season.

02:20We're leaving days at risk where the virus is starting to stay, and in the year I was missing out on the planet.

02:26We're leaving days at risk where we're staying, but we're going to try and get back up.

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