Pharmacy disagrees
The drug TetraStem has been introduced in Barbados and Chief Operating Officer of the Barbados Diabetes Foundation, Dr. Simone McConnie and its Chairman, Dr. Oscar Jordan, are thrilled with the potential for the drug to reduce the number of amputations in Barbados.
Barbados had the dubious distinction of being named “the amputation capital of the world” but according to Financial Consultant Hal Martin who introduced the drug as a donation to the Foundation, the drug will significantly reduce amputations in Barbados. According to the Chairman of the Foundation, there are over 230 amputations annually in Barbados as a result of complications arising out of diabetes illness.
Martin invited American podiatrist Dr Christopher Otiko to Barbados in an information sharing event to share his enthusiasm and the success stories of the use of the drug in the treatment of diabetics.
“The percentage of lower extremity amputations is increasing, the age is increasing and the situation is burning”, said Jordan.
“We need to find a way to reduce amputations and to reduce them significantly”, he emphasized.
According to Jordan TetraStem offered the possibility of achieving that objective in a short space of time. Otiko claims that TetraStem has a 99.9% success rate. The drug has the antibiotic base tetracycline and was invented by Dr. Howard Phillips, an American bio-medical engineer.
However, a local pharmacist said that the 99.9% success rate is a wild claim.
“Granted it has just been introduced but amputations are caused invariably after the patient develops circulation problems and severe arterial disease in the limb, technically the limb is rotting and must be removed. Amputations are done for gangrene and I don’t see how this can PREVENT amputations at this point. It is an antibiotic. An antibiotic based drug is not a drug that addresses circulation and arterial issues, lifestyle or any of the other issues that lead a patient to diabetic amputation. I would have to see more clinical evidence, trials, scholarly articles etc”, the pharmacist said.
“A drug like this would definitely make a huge difference in what we are doing in Barbados, Mc Connie however remarked after viewing a number of slides presented by Dr. Otiko.
