Women with breast cancer again cannot find Reseligo in pharmacies. It is the hormone drug they take as maintenance therapy, and the health insurance fund covers it. The importer has now delivered a batch of 8,000 units.

Patients warned last Wednesday that the drug had been missing for almost a month. The importer promised it would be in pharmacies by 16 October.

Earlier on this story: Breast cancer drug «Rezeligo» missing for almost a month, delivery due by 16 October

The batch arrived on schedule on Friday and is being split among distributors according to their orders. The health ministry said five wholesalers received more than 4,000 packs between 16 and 20 October and are delivering them to pharmacies in stages. The ministry said supplies are recovering, but not every pharmacy is guaranteed to have stock.

A patient from Sofia said she made more than 50 calls and went from pharmacy to pharmacy. In the whole city she found just one injection, in Simeonovo, but it was reserved for someone else. She fears her treatment will be interrupted next month, and says it must not be. She described the situation as genocide against women with breast cancer.

This summer, Reseligo replaced Zoladex on the Positive Drug List.

Patient groups put the shortage down to organisational failures. Nikolay Kostov, chairman of the Association of Pharmacy Owners, said every delivery goes through logistics and batch release, and this is not always quick. He said deliveries must be regular so patients do not notice gaps.

Evgenia Alexandrova, chair of the Association of Patients with Oncological Diseases, said that when a key drug leaves the market, its replacement should be available at once.

Cancer drugs have the most temporary or permanent sales halts since the start of the year, according to the Bulgarian Drug Agency's list of notifications.

Data from the SESPA system show 46 drugs covered by the health insurance fund are in short supply. The largest group, 11, is for tumours. Nine are for diabetes, heart and blood vessels, 8 for infections and immune diseases, and 6 for the digestive system, liver and nutrition. Another 5 are for blood diseases, fertility and pain, 4 for diagnostics and other specialist therapies, and 3 for neurological and rare diseases.

A hormone drug for prostate cancer is also missing from pharmacies. It is expected to arrive in late October or early November.