Health Ministry announces introduction of Achondroplasia drug for children patients

Vosoritide, a medication used for the treatment of achondroplasia among children patients, is now available in Georgia, the country’s Ministry of Health confirmed to the Georgian Public Broadcaster on Tuesday. 

The development follows requests by parents of children diagnosed with the illness, which along with slowing bone growth, can cause a number of health issues, for state efforts to introduce the drug to the country, with the medication set to be issued to only four children in the first stage “due to the critical need”.

We are very happy. The dream of so many years has come true, [and] the struggle has paid off. Tomorrow, my son will be the first child in Georgia to receive this medicine, followed by the other three children”, Keti Begiashvili, one of the parents, said in reaction to the news.

Parents said the medicine would be administered at a multidisciplinary paediatric inpatient facility over a month, with the Children's Central Hospital in Tbilisi selected for the purpose.

The initial phase will be followed by parents administering the medicine to their children at home.

The introduction was preceded by months of the protests by the parents, with the demonstrations followed by the Government including achondroplasia in the list of rare diseases, and granting the patients the status of disabled persons.

The Ministry of Health also developed a national protocol for the management of achondroplasia and prescribed Vosoritide as one of the means of treatment.