Kerala will make spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) medicines available at medical college hospitals in every district by the middle of November, expanding free access beyond the two government hospitals that currently provide the treatment.
The health department’s decision will extend distribution from the medical college hospitals in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode to facilities across the state. The medicines will be allocated to each district based on the number of children affected by SMA, according to a report by the Times of India.
Kerala Medical Services Corporation recently procured generic SMA drugs at a significantly lower cost. The procurement has enabled the government to plan wider distribution while replacing more expensive branded medicines with Indian generic alternatives.
The government has decided to provide the medicines free of cost to SMA patients irrespective of age. However, an expert panel of medical professionals will assess whether the treatment is suitable for individual patients before it is administered. The assessment will be particularly relevant for patients above 18 years, the report said.
The panel will determine which patients are likely to benefit from the medicines and advise on their suitability. This process is intended to guide treatment decisions as the programme is expanded to medical college hospitals in all districts.
The move to use generic medicines had earlier drawn criticism, including from the opposition Communist Party of India (Marxist). The state government and medical experts have maintained that the decision is necessary to make treatment available to more patients at a lower cost.
SMA is a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder in which motor neurons in the spinal cord progressively shrink and die. This causes muscle weakness and wasting, with the condition affecting mobility and other physical functions. Access to treatment has therefore remained closely linked to the availability and cost of medicines.
The planned district-level distribution places medical college hospitals at the centre of Kerala’s delivery system for SMA treatment. It also creates a common state-wide process involving procurement, district allocation, clinical assessment and dispensing through government hospitals.
The health department’s immediate next step is to make the medicines available at medical college hospitals in all districts by the middle of the month. The expert panel will assess patients’ suitability for treatment as the expanded supply begins.
