March 24 (Reuters) - The European Union's medicines regulator said on Tuesday it expects Baxter International's BAX.N cancer drugs containing ifosfamide will remain in shortage in the bloc well into the first quarter of next year.
Ifosfamide is used by itself or in combination with other therapies to treat multiple cancers including testicular, small cell and cervical cancers.
The European Medicines Agency said the shortage was due to a technical disruption at Baxter's contract manufacturing site, but did not disclose details.
Baxter is the primary supplier of ifosfamide across the EU.
The brands, Holoxan, Tronoxal and Mitoxana, contain ifosfamide either as the main ingredient or as a combination with other drugs.
Manufacturing and release of ifosfamide‑containing products had halted in September, but their production has now resumed, albeit at a constrained level.
The regulator last month had also warned of a shortage of another cancer drug by Baxter, cyclophosphamide - a key ingredient in Endoxan, Sendoxan and Genoxal - until the first quarter of next year due to a site disruption.
The shortages come at a time when the Middle East war is already threatening to disrupt the flow of medicines amid restricted air transit and closed shipping routes.
Baxter did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
(Reporting by Prerna Bedi in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
((Prerna.Bedi@thomsonreuters.com; +91 98052 24616;))
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