Georgia expands universal healthcare programme to fund post-transplant GVHD treatment

Georgia has expanded its Universal Healthcare Programme to fully fund the high-cost medicine Jakavi for patients who develop graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following bone marrow transplantation, the Ministry of Health has announced.

Georgian citizens are eligible for state-funded bone marrow transplant procedures both in Georgia and abroad. However, some patients develop GVHD, or graft-versus-host disease, after transplantation, a serious complication in which transplanted donor cells attack the recipient's body.

The ministry said timely treatment with modern therapies is vital in such cases.

Under international clinical guidelines, Jakavi (ruxolitinib) is recognised as one of the leading treatments for GVHD, particularly for patients whose condition no longer responds to standard steroid therapy.

As a result, the government has decided to provide full state funding for Jakavi for all patients diagnosed with GVHD, the ministry said.

The ministry also announced that the state-procured medicine is now available to all beneficiaries with oncohaematological diseases, including children under the age of 18.

Officials said the changes would improve access to high-quality treatment and significantly reduce the financial burden on patients and their families.