Major cancer drug shortage will lead to bladder removals But Sanofi Pastuer, which makes the most widely-used product, called Immunocyst, does not expect production to restart before late 2013, according to a letter to doctors from Professor Sir Mike Richards, the NHS cancer "csar." He said: "We are talking about an additional 100 to 200 of these operations a year." Some of these patients will then have to wear plastic bladders, called urostomy bags, for the rest of their lives. Others could have artificial bladders created from intestinal tissue. "This is a massive quality of life issue," he said. Although the surgery should save the vast majority from dying of bladder cancer, he said some could die early because bladder removal was such a major operation. There is a second BCG product, called oncoTICE, but maker MSD has said it will take time to step up production. BCG, a bacterium, is best known for its use in the vaccine of the same name, which protects against tuberculosis. However, when used to fight cancer the composition is very different and the products are not interchangeable. For bladder cancer, BCG is piped into the bladder via a catheter.