War disrupts pharma air routes, risks supply of cancer drugs

War in the Middle East is disrupting the flow of critical medicines to the Gulf, imperilling supply routes for cancer drugs and other treatments that require refrigeration and forcing companies to reroute flights and find overland access into the region, industry executives said.

- MAGGIE FICK

Worldwide Flight Services personnel prepare 60 tonnes of relief supplies and pharmaceutical products for a humanitarian flight to Beirut, at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport on Thursday.

(REUTERS)

The conflict, sparked by US and Israeli attacks on Iran two weeks ago and broadened by Iranian strikes around the region, has knocked out key air transit hubs and closed shipping routes, snarling the movement of goods for many products from medicines to food and oil.

While there are few signs yet of major shortages, that could change if the conflict drags on, some executives said. The Gulf relies heavily on imports, and some medicines have short shelf lives and need strict cold-chain storage, making lengthy overland shipping less practical.

Executives at Western drugmakers said they were seeking alternative routes into the Gulf and trucking some drugs overland from airports like Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Other options were Istanbul and Oman.

Major airports in the region, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, have been closed due to strikes by Iran in response to US and Israeli attacks. Dubai and Doha are major cargo hubs linking Europe with Asia and Africa, with airlines Emirates and Etihad and logistics firms such as DHL handling temperature-sensitive drugs that must be kept within a narrow range to remain safe and effective.