INDICES> reserpine availability?

["Ciprian Jauca" <jauca@ti.ubc.ca>]

INDICES> reserpine availability?
--------------------------------

Reserpine, which used to be manufactured by Novartis in Canada, is not being
manufactured in Canada anymore. A patient who has been on reserpine for
hypertension is desperately trying to find now an alternate source for
reserpine. He is taking 0.1 mg. He has tried many other antihypertensive
agents but without success.

He has been told that reserpine may still be manufactured in India and would
like to find out the name and location of the company.

If anyone on this list has any information of a current manufacturer of
reserpine (anywhere in the world) could you please share that info with us?
Thank you for your help.

Regards,
Ciprian D Jauca
Program Coordinator
Therapeutics Initiative - Evidence Based Drug Therapy
University of British Columbia

2176 Health Sciences Mall
Vancouver, BC  V6T 1Z3
Canada

E-mail: jauca@ti.ubc.ca
Phone: +1 (604) 822-0700
GSM Mobile Phone: +1 (604) 722-2075
Fax: +1 (604) 822-0701
Web: http://www.ti.ubc.ca

[In South Africa, where reserpine is still in the Essential Drug List as a second step
treatment of hypertension, 0.25mg tablets are manufactured by Lennon Pharmaceuticals. 
Patients only need 0.1 mg and have to break tablets. 
A problem is that (like hydrochlorothiazide) the doses used in the past were too
high for antihypertensive effects; modern thinking uses lower dosages but the drug
companies have not been interested to produce those strengths as reserpine 0.1 mg is 
extremely cheap (and thus not very profitable?).
Combinations including reserpine are marketed by Novartis and BMS in South Africa.
An international non-profit wholesaler in Holland sells 1000 tablets of
reserpine 0.25mg for Euro 5.80.
MSH has an international price comparison on their website: www.msh.org/erc
NN]
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