Latest news with #Leucovorin
Daily Maverick
12-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
Too little, too late – lifesaving chemotherapy drugs for kids finally arrive at Eastern Cape hospitals
A month after the Eastern Cape Department of Health promised that they had paid the overdue bills that delayed the delivery of chemotherapy drugs to Nelson Mandela Bay hospitals and that the issue would be solved, crucial chemotherapy drugs finally started arriving at Port Elizabeth Provincial Hospital. But it was too late for some children, who have missed a cycle of treatment, leaving them at high risk. A month ago, the Eastern Cape Department of Health assured the public that it had paid the overdue bills for pediatric chemotherapy drugs and that the problem was solved. Only it wasn't. And medical teams were thrown into a race against time to prevent their little patients from defaulting on their treatment. Crucial chemotherapy drugs needed to treat five children, who have already missed a full cycle of treatment, only arrived at Port Elizabeth's Provincial Hospital on Thursday, 12 June. The five children were just the most serious of cases – many others also missed a day or two of treatment and newly diagnosed patients could not receive their initial treatment. The additional month's waiting could have devastating consequences for the patients. One pediatric oncologist, who works in another province, said they have seen cancer returning if a child misses a cycle of chemotherapy, and sometimes the returned disease will be resistant to first-line drugs. On 19 May, the department indicated that overdue bills, which were the reason for the outage, were paid and that drugs will be delivered. Documents from senior officials in the department that have been confirmed with three sources as authentic, however, show that on 21 May, doctors were warned that 11 types of chemotherapy were not available, and in four of these cases it was due to 'closed accounts'. It is understood that companies wanted a bigger part of their overdue bills paid after an initial payment was made. Carboplatin, one of the crucial chemotherapy drugs, was, however, reported to be out of stock with a contracted supplier and needed to be sourced from another supplier. On 2 June, outages were still not addressed and the hospital had no Betamethasone, no Carboplatin, no Dacarbazine, no Methotrexate, no Leucovorin, no Polygam – either 6 grams or 12 grams – no Melphalan and no Spironolactone. Pharmacies had received Vinblastine (two months of stock) and Vincristine (commonly given as an IV injection – six months of stock). For the next 10 days, patients needing chemotherapy drugs that were out of stock were sent away. Yesterday, on 11 June, an entire contingent of patients were again sent away – five of them have by now missed an entire cycle of chemotherapy or three weeks of treatment. The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has launched an investigation into the repeated interruptions of cancer treatment for public healthcare patients in the Eastern Cape. Dr Eileen Carter from the SAHRC said the Democratic Alliance (DA) had laid a complaint with them about the matter. The oncology units in Gqeberha previously ran out of chemotherapy medication in January after the Eastern Cape Department of Health's account with a supplier was suspended due to a delayed payment. At the time, the medicines that were in short supply were Docetaxel injection vials and Anastrozole tablets. On Sunday, Sizwe Kupelo, the spokesperson for the Eastern Cape MEC for Health Ntandokazi Capa, said the department 'wishes to reassure members of the public that drug availability in our facilities is one of the top priorities'. 'An amount of R284-million has been made available to pay pharmaceutical companies and order medicines. As of the past two weeks, R60-million was disbursed and various suppliers have already started deliveries. This week, orders and payments will continue to be made. To monitor progress, the head of the department, Dr Rolene Wagner, has established a task team led by a chief director to coordinate the whole ordering and delivery of medicines, with oncology being a priority. 'Pharmacists from all oncology departments in all three of our major hospitals also had a meeting with the HOD and pharmaceutical services in Bhisho to discuss their stock levels. We wish to re-emphasise that payment of service providers is no longer an issue at this stage and medicines are being delivered. 'However, we have been made aware that some companies that are on the national contracts do not have certain products available, due to global supply chain issues. 'To address this, the task team and relevant managers are liaising with the national department to seek permission to procure outside the contracted companies,' he said. This process appears to only have been started two weeks after the out-of-stock chemotherapy drugs crisis was confirmed. 'Once again, this is a priority to both the MEC and the HOD, and both offices will continue to monitor and provide support to colleagues on the ground,' Kupelo said. DM
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Children with autism may see speech improvements with off-label prescription drug
An off-label prescription drug has been shown to help some non-verbal children with autism discover the ability to speak. The drug, leucovorin, is a prescription vitamin that functions similarly to folic acid, helping to restore folate levels in patients who may have difficulty absorbing or using it, according to Katy Dubinsky, a New York pharmacist and the CEO and co-founder of Vitalize, a private supplement company. "Leucovorin is FDA-approved to reduce the toxic effects of high-dose methotrexate in cancer treatment and to prevent or treat certain types of anemia caused by folate deficiency," Dubinsky told Fox News Digital. Is Mmr Vaccine Safe For Kids? Dr. Nicole Saphier Addresses Concerns As Measles Cases Rise While leucovorin isn't prescribed for the treatment of autism, some families have found that its off-label use has led to significant improvements in autistic children's communication skills, experts say. Richard E. Frye, M.D., PhD, a behavioral child neurologist in Arizona, has studied the drug in his research of experimental treatments for children with autism spectrum disorder. Read On The Fox News App "Leucovorin is a special form of vitamin B9 that is water-soluble and does not build up in your body," he told Fox News Digital. "Folates have been found to be safe long-term for many years and that is why we supplement our food with folate." Bill Gates Likely Had Autism As A Child, He Reveals: 'Wasn't Widely Understood' The main benefit of leucovorin for children with autism is improvement in language, Frye said, but other advantages may include enhanced social function, reduced repetitive behaviors and stronger attention skills. "We do find that leucovorin helps a substantial number of children with autism," he said. "Language is one of the most obvious things, so that is what we measured in our clinical trial." Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News' senior medical analyst, also spoke to Fox News Digital about why the drug may have this positive impact. "Central folate deficiency is a lack of folate in the brain, which can interfere with neurological function," he said. "A high percentage of children with autism spectrum disorder have been found to have antibodies against folic receptor alpha in the brain." Leucovorin is converted to folate in the brain by a different pathway, Siegel said. "Small studies are showing that it improves neurological function and communication skills in kids with ASD, but larger studies need to be done." The fact that leucovorin has already been used long-term helps to reduce the associated risk, according to doctors. "One of the advantages of using leucovorin is that it has been used for decades to protect the body from the effects of chemotherapy, so we know what dose to use and any side effects it may produce," Frye told Fox News Digital. Autism Risk Could Rise With Air Pollution, New Study Suggests However, some children do become "extremely hyperactive," do not respond to leucovorin and end up needing alternative treatments, the doctor noted. It's important for families to work with a medical professional when exploring the use of leucovorin for autism, he advised. "Leucovorin is given at much higher doses than regular vitamins, so it's very important to work with a doctor knowledgeable in how to prescribe it," Frye said. "It is important to test the patient for abnormalities in the folate pathway, such as the folate receptor autoantibody, so we know that they are a candidate for this medication." While leucovorin is available in the pharmacy, Frye noted that some children need a compounded form because they are sensitive to some of the additives in commercial products. "Our goal is to get leucovorin approved by the FDA for autism so it can be widely prescribed to children as one of the first treatments once they are diagnosed," he said. Dubinsky agreed that physicians may prescribe the "widely-used and well-tolerated drug" for autism treatment based on their "clinical judgment and emerging evidence," but she also stressed the importance of clinical trials. "While doctors can prescribe leucovorin now, FDA approval would provide stronger medical backing, making it a recognized treatment rather than just an off-label option," she told Fox News Digital. Click Here To Sign Up For Our Health Newsletter "This could lead to insurance coverage, standardized dosing guidelines and broader acceptance in the medical community." Siegel added that leucovorin is a "safe drug" and should be considered for large-scale use based on the findings of recent research. Frye pointed out that there is "no magic bullet" for autism, with many children benefiting from a combination of multiple treatments. "It is unlikely that leucovorin will be used alone — it must be used with behavioral and speech therapy," he said. "We believe that leucovorin can improve outcomes for these therapies." Andy Shih, PhD, chief science officer of Autism Speaks in New York, noted that every child's experience with autism is unique. "There is little evidence to suggest that the benefits observed in this individual case can be generalized to the broader autistic community," he told Fox News Digital. For more Health articles, visit "While some small studies have explored leucovorin as a potential treatment for people with autism, larger controlled clinical trials are needed to determine its efficacy and safety. We urge families to consult with their doctors before considering off-label treatments." Dubinsky added that if larger studies confirm leucovorin's effectiveness, it could become a more accessible treatment for children with autism who may benefit from article source: Children with autism may see speech improvements with off-label prescription drug
Fox News
22-02-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Children with autism may see speech improvements with off-label prescription drug
An off-label prescription drug has been shown to help some non-verbal children with autism discover the ability to speak. The drug, leucovorin, is a prescription vitamin that functions similarly to folic acid, helping to restore folate levels in patients who may have difficulty absorbing or using it, according to Katy Dubinsky, a New York pharmacist and the CEO and co-founder of Vitalize, a private supplement company. "Leucovorin is FDA-approved to reduce the toxic effects of high-dose methotrexate in cancer treatment and to prevent or treat certain types of anemia caused by folate deficiency," Dubinsky told Fox News Digital. While leucovorin isn't prescribed for the treatment of autism, some families have found that its off-label use has led to significant improvements in autistic children's communication skills, experts say. Richard E. Frye, M.D., PhD, a behavioral child neurologist in Arizona, has studied the drug in his research of experimental treatments for children with autism spectrum disorder. "Leucovorin is a special form of vitamin B9 that is water-soluble and does not build up in your body," he told Fox News Digital. "Folates have been found to be safe long-term for many years and that is why we supplement our food with folate." The main benefit of leucovorin for children with autism is improvement in language, Frye said, but other advantages may include enhanced social function, reduced repetitive behaviors and stronger attention skills. "Our goal is to get leucovorin approved by the FDA for autism so it can be widely prescribed to children as one of the first treatments once they are diagnosed." "We do find that leucovorin helps a substantial number of children with autism," he said. "Language is one of the most obvious things, so that is what we measured in our clinical trial." Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News' senior medical analyst, also spoke to Fox News Digital about why the drug may have this positive impact. "Central folate deficiency is a lack of folate in the brain, which can interfere with neurological function," he said. "A high percentage of children with autism spectrum disorder have been found to have antibodies against folic receptor alpha in the brain." Leucovorin is converted to folate in the brain by a different pathway, Siegel said. "Small studies are showing that it improves neurological function and communication skills in kids with ASD, but larger studies need to be done." The fact that leucovorin has already been used long-term helps to reduce the associated risk, according to doctors. "One of the advantages of using leucovorin is that it has been used for decades to protect the body from the effects of chemotherapy, so we know what dose to use and any side effects it may produce," Frye told Fox News Digital. However, some children do become "extremely hyperactive," do not respond to leucovorin and end up needing alternative treatments, the doctor noted. It's important for families to work with a medical professional when exploring the use of leucovorin for autism, he advised. "Leucovorin is given at much higher doses than regular vitamins, so it's very important to work with a doctor knowledgeable in how to prescribe it," Frye said. "It is important to test the patient for abnormalities in the folate pathway, such as the folate receptor autoantibody, so we know that they are a candidate for this medication." While leucovorin is available in the pharmacy, Frye noted that some children need a compounded form because they are sensitive to some of the additives in commercial products. "Our goal is to get leucovorin approved by the FDA for autism so it can be widely prescribed to children as one of the first treatments once they are diagnosed," he said. Dubinsky agreed that physicians may prescribe the "widely-used and well-tolerated drug" for autism treatment based on their "clinical judgment and emerging evidence," but she also stressed the importance of clinical trials. "While doctors can prescribe leucovorin now, FDA approval would provide stronger medical backing, making it a recognized treatment rather than just an off-label option," she told Fox News Digital. "This could lead to insurance coverage, standardized dosing guidelines and broader acceptance in the medical community." Siegel added that leucovorin is a "safe drug" and should be considered for large-scale use based on the findings of recent research. Frye pointed out that there is "no magic bullet" for autism, with many children benefiting from a combination of multiple treatments. "It is unlikely that leucovorin will be used alone — it must be used with behavioral and speech therapy," he said. "We believe that leucovorin can improve outcomes for these therapies." "There is little evidence to suggest that the benefits observed in this individual case can be generalized to the broader autistic community." Andy Shih, PhD, chief science officer of Autism Speaks in New York, noted that every child's experience with autism is unique. "There is little evidence to suggest that the benefits observed in this individual case can be generalized to the broader autistic community," he told Fox News Digital. For more Health articles, visit "While some small studies have explored leucovorin as a potential treatment for people with autism, larger controlled clinical trials are needed to determine its efficacy and safety. We urge families to consult with their doctors before considering off-label treatments." Dubinsky added that if larger studies confirm leucovorin's effectiveness, it could become a more accessible treatment for children with autism who may benefit from it.
