Get Marty: Couple Needs Help Getting Cancer Drug
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A major shortage of a critical cancer treatment drug led a local couple the KDKA'S Get Marty.
"He has a very aggressive cancer. Without the treatment, I know he wouldn't make it," says Shirley Engel.
Shirley reached out to KDKA after it became very difficult for her husband to obtain a cancer drug called BCG.
BCG is the most effective drug for the treatment of bladder cancer.
"If I don't have it, there's no hope," says John Engel. Engel needs six treatment with BCG.
Experts indicate more than 35,000 Americans with bladder cancer are unable to get BCG.
One lab making the drug shut down, leaving Merck as the only company producing BCG.
We reached out to Dr. Ben Davies at UPMC. Davies wrote a groundbreaking article in Forbes magazine "Bladder Cancer Drug Shortages and Price Gouging: The New Reality."
"It's scary, and upsetting. We want to get patients the best medicine," says Dr. Davies.
Dr. Davies agreed to take John Engel on a patient. He also agree to aggressively pursue the BCG John Engel needs.
Engel was able to get the BCG and is currently undergoing treatment.
Meantime, the FDA says there are more than 20 cancer drugs unavailable right now. At one point there were 200 drugs patients had a difficult time getting.
MERCK has stated publicly its making BCG as quickly as possible.
You May Also Be Interested In These Latest News Stories
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
