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Prices of anti-rejection drugs for kidney transplant patients at the Kenyatta National Hospital have nearly doubled, increasing pain for patients who have for years relied on subsidised drugs at the facility.
A tablet of Tacrolimus is now retailing at Sh64 up from Sh30 in December last year while Cyclosporine is going for Sh260 from Sh185 apiece. Mycophenolate fetching Sh140 from Sh100 per tablet.
The rise in the cost of drugs that are used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs has sent most of the patients into distress given that the National Health Insurance Fund does not pay for post-transplant drugs.
Patients have for years been buying the drugs from the KNH at subsidised prices but are now forced to dig deeper into their pockets pushing the monthly expenditure on Tacrolimus alone up by at least Sh6,600.
The price rise has been linked to a supply hitch facing the new firm that was contracted by the national referral hospital to supply the drugs.
KNH retained Emcure Pharmaceuticals to supply the drugs after the contract with Europa Healthcare lapsed last year. But the firm has faced hitches in sourcing similar drugs that Europa Healthcare sup-plied, leading to high prices because it has contracted a third party for the supplies.