First shipment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy drug Givinostat to arrive in Georgia next week
“The medication Givinostat, designed for patients suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, will arrive in Georgia early next week,” Minister of IDPs, Labour, Health and Social Affairs Mikheil Sarjveladze has announced.
According to Sarjveladze, extensive preparatory work conducted in collaboration with the Italian pharmaceutical firm Italfarmaco is complete, leaving all systems ready for rapid clinical deployment.
“As the public is aware, an agreement was signed on 31 July this year with the Italian company Italfarmaco, the manufacturer of Givinostat, for Georgia to procure this medication. Today, we have further welcome news: the air waybill confirming the dispatch of Givinostat to Georgia has been provided, confirming that the drug will be in Tbilisi early next week.
Before this, we undertook intensive preparation alongside Italfarmaco, including the meticulous compilation of patient data, the creation of a specialised registry, the approval of regulatory guidelines, and the completion of training sessions for local doctors conducted by foreign specialists. Everything is now in place to begin applying this medication in real clinical practice as swiftly as possible,” Mikheil Sarjveladze stated.
The Health Minister expressed gratitude to Italfarmaco for its partnership.
“I would like to take this opportunity to extend our sincere thanks, including on behalf of the parents, to Italfarmaco for their truly exemplary cooperation. In the near future, several major international events on rare disease treatments will take place globally, where we will certainly highlight this successful collaboration with a company that engaged with complete responsibility and dedication, doing everything to ensure the drug becomes available to Georgian patients as quickly and effectively as possible.
Consequently, we urge parents who may not have contacted the relevant institutions recently to reach out to the Ministry hotline at 15 05 to receive all necessary consultations regarding the application of the drug,” Sarjveladze added.