Novartis Pharma Services Inc. wishes to clarify that the out-of-stock medicine featured in The Sunday Times article, titled ‘Dad’s cancer drug agony’, is zoledronic acid, the generic version of the branded drug Zometa.
The company has not had an active tender since last September 2013 and it had fulfilled all the quantities requested in that tender.
“The delays listed are connected with the new company – makers of a generic version of zoledronic acid 4mg – which won the latest tender and who are represented in Malta by a different distributor.”
This newspaper reported that this drug has been out of stock since the first week of January after the supplier failed to deliver.