Government continues to purchase Indian DiaZone MR despite nasty side effects

Those suffering from Type-2 diabetes in Armenia will still be receiving DiaZone MR, a drug manufactured in India that many claim resulted in deleterious side effects like nausea and dizziness, at state-run polyclinics even though the superior French drug (Diabeton MR) is already being imported.

The Armenian government has stated that the French drug will be imported until 2020 as a substitute for DiaZone MR.

While the government has instructed state medical facilities to distribute the new French drug, said to produce less negative side effects, as of July 1 of this year it turns out that the Indian substitute will still be offered to patients.

This was confirmed by Armenian Deputy Minister of Health Vahan Poghosyan at a February 10 press conference. Poghosyan said that reserves of the problematic DiaZone MR wouldn’t be destroyed but rather distributed until consumed.

A 2014 report issued by Armenia’s Control Chamber (akin to the U.S. General Services Administration) noted that there were 1.672 million unused DiaZone MR tablets as of the end of the year.

The most recent shipment of the Indian drug purchased by the government was imported to Armenia in November 2014.

Surprisingly, even after the Armenian government signed a purchase contract with Servier, a French manufacturer of Diabeton MR, the health ministry imported another 4,000 packages of DiaZone MR at a cost of US$16,765.

The question thus arises why the Armenian government would continue importing the inferior Indian drug while it had just entered into an agreement to import the French drug.

More surprising is the fact that the cost of DiaZone MR had jumped 70% per package – from $2.5 to $4.25.

Armenia’s Ministry of Health prefers not to estimate when stockpiles of the Indian drug will be used up.

The ministry couldn’t give a clear answer when asked by Hetq as to the quantity of DiaZone remaining, and only noted that patients are still receiving it given quarterly demand data.

A diabetes patient who wished to remain anonymous told Hetq that when he   goes to the clinic to get his dose he’s told there’s no more Diabeton left.

In order to reveal what drug Type-2 diabetes patients are receiving, Hetq contacted the endocrinologists and directors of more than ten clinics in Yerevan and the provinces. All said that they still receive the Indian drug DiaZone.

Nouneh Davtyan, deputy director of Yerevan’s Polyclinic #1, told Hetq that those who received DiaZone in the past and were satisfied are still asking for it.

Polyclinic #5 Director Samvel Rafyan told Hetq that the health ministry ships them all types of diabetes drugs and that it’s up to the patient’s physician as to which particular drug will be prescribed. 

“It’s not as if the physician will say that a patient doesn’t need Diabeton when he or she actually does,” Rafyan said.

The deputy director of Polyclinic #13, who refused to give a name, said that the facility has all the drugs available – Diabeton, DiaZone, DiaMar, and Diamet. The deputy director said they were out of DiaZone and didn’t know when they’d receive a new shipment.

Hrachouhie Saroyan, an endocrinologist at Polyclinic #19, told Hetq that patients are given what has been prescribed.

“We give a little Diabeton along with the DiaZone until the latter has been used up,” Saroyan told Hetq. “They can prefer a whole bunch of stuff. Clearly they will prefer Diabeton, but we have to use up all the DiaZone.”

Top photo: Minister of Health Armen Mouradyan

2nd photo: Deputy Minister of Health Vahan Poghosyan