The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Corporate initiative to help cancer patients

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jun 25, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Corporate initiative to help cancer patients

Y. Mallikarjun

HYDERABAD: Drug and pharma major -- Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories is planning to expand the role of Sparsh, an initiative to provide expensive anti-cancer drug free of cost to needy patients undergoing treatment.

Launched in 2006 as part of its corporate social responsibility, Sparsh’s mandate is to increase access to the medicine for those who cannot afford it. Initially drug Glioz, used in the treatment of brain tumour, was supplied to 100 persons. While continuing to support those patients, Dr. Reddy’s added another drug, Reditux, to be supplied for another 100 persons suffering from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer. According to Ritha Chandrachud, vice-president, strategy-Global Oncology, the company earmarks a part of its promotional expenses for such initiatives. A unique aspect of Sparsh is that oncologists all over the country have been requested to identify and recommend patients who are not in a position to afford such treatment. The oncologist is provided access to the Sparsh website for filling in address and other details of the patient to whom Dr.Reddy’s would supply the medicine. Once the patient’s data is made available on the website, the nearest area would get the details and arranges the supply.

She said that plans were afoot to scale up the supply of various anti-cancer drugs to about 1,000 patients in the next four to five years. Two other initiatives on the anvil are to offer counselling to cancer patients “to look and feel better” and provide free of charge palliative care to patients living in the outlying areas of the city. An ambulance with a doctor and nurse would visit such patients, who could seek assistance through a helpline. The doctors making such visits would undergo a certification course in palliative care at the MNJ Institute of Oncology. Dr. Vijayanand Reddy, director Apollo cancer hospital, who had recommended a couple patients for free treatment under Sparsh, said it was a wonderful programme as the drug given under targeted therapy was “very expensive”.

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