Canadian pharmaceutical company Apotex will distribute the injectable medication in 50-milligram vials on a temporary basis. It will be available for order by health care providers starting Tuesday. Cisplatin and other platinum-based drugs are prescribed for 10% to 20% of all cancer patients, according to the National Cancer Institute. Cisplatin has a cure rate of over 90% when used to treat testicular cancer.
“Today, we’ve taken steps for temporary importation of certain foreign-approved versions of cisplatin products from FDA-registered facilities and used regulatory discretion for continued supply of other cisplatin and carboplatin products to help meet patient needs. “In these situations, we very carefully assess product quality and require companies to take certain measures to ensure the products are safe for patients.