Blackout in Ukraine and challenges regarding the storage of immunobiological drugs

Abstract

An undeclared war has been going on in Ukraine for more than one year. Defeated at the front, Russia resorted to massive shelling of energy facilities with the aim of leaving Ukrainians wit­hout electricity and heat during the winter. As reported, since October 10, the Russians have fired more than a thousand missiles and drones at Ukrainian energy facilities. The shelling on November 23, 2022 led to a system crash — a blackout occurred. For the first time in the history of Ukraine, all of the country’s nuclear power units were shut down. In conditions of lack of light and non-wor­king refrige­rating chambers, the storage conditions of thermolabile immunobiological drugs became a new test for the medical community and patients. As you know, immunobiological drugs, which are widely used in the treatment of various rheumatological disea­ses, require strict storage conditions in the temperature range from +2 to +8 °С. Under blackout conditions, it is difficult for Ukrainian patients to maintain optimal storage conditions for these drugs. The analysis of the studies showed that the majority of patients do not comply with the requirements for the storage of thermolabile drugs, even with the constant presence of light and electricity. Experts indicate that more and more thermolabile drugs are becoming available, and in most cases, these medications are dispensed to ambulatory patients. More thermolabile drugs are becoming avai­lable, and in most cases, these medications are dispensed to ambulatory patients. However, there is no regulation once medications are dispensed to patients and little is known with regard to what happens during transport and home sto­rage. Previous studies suggest that these drugs are improperly stored. Future studies should focus on clinical consequences and possible solutions. It is recommended for Ukrainians to follow the rules and conditions of sto­rage of heat-labile medicinal products during blackouts/emergency and stabilization blackouts.