The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine (Odesa) received melphalan as a humanitarian aid for the treatment of retinoblastoma - intraocular malignant tumors in children.

The clinic told the Interfax-Ukraine agency the drug is used to treat the disease according to the method of combined polychemotherapy developed by the institute's physicians, which involves the injection of the drug directly into the tumor in combination with general polychemotherapy. The use of this method allows saving the eye affected by the tumor and even vision in 80% of cases, including those with stage 3-4 retinoblastoma.

As a drug for intraocular injection, the drug melphalan is used, which is produced by the pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited.

"Unfortunately, it has been impossible to buy melphalan for injections in Ukraine lately. The institute has taken active steps to get the medicine," the institute said.

It became possible to receive the medicine thanks to the efforts of the head of the patronage service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine, Olha Nykytchenko, Ambassador of Ukraine to South Africa Liubov Abravitova, as well as Senior Executive Director of Aspen Group Stavros Nicolaou with the support of the We Stand with Ukraine charitable foundation.

"The drug was delivered to the Filatov Institute. And literally the next day, the first patient received treatment that allow to saving his sight and life," the clinic said.

Retinoblastoma is a highly malignant intraocular tumor of the retina that develops mainly in children of the first two years of life and accounts for 89.3-98.2% of all intraocular neoplasms in children. The incidence of retinoblastoma in the world is currently one case per 10,000-15,000 newborns.

Due to the asymptomatic course of the disease, the majority (85-86% of children) end up in clinics with an advanced stage of retinoblastoma. Earlier and still in many clinics, the only way to save a child's life was considered to be the removal of the tumor along with the eye.

Treatment of retinoblastoma in Ukraine is carried out in the department of pediatric ophthalmopathology of the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy. In recent years, the clinic has treated about 300 children with retinoblastoma aged from three months to eight years. One child is given from three to 20 injections, depending on the stage of the disease.