A leading pharmacist warned yesterday that Bermuda was suffering a shortage of a certain morphine product -- vital to dull terrible pain in some patients.

But Bermuda's only drug wholesaler BGA Group of Companies this week denied that the morphine sulphate powder was no longer to be stocked since it was too often stolen in "break-ins'' -- as was suggested to the pharmacist .

Pharmaceutical Council chairman Bob Totty described the situation as a "horror story'' for those in need of the potent pain-killer.

But a BGA Group spokesman last night denied there were ever plans to discontinue stocks and said a delivery from abroad was expected soon.

However he did admit the concentrated morphine powder was not currently available from the wholesaler, local pharmacies or the hospital.

Mr. Totty -- of the Clarendon Pharmacy -- said it was "disgusting'' that patients had had such difficulties in getting the drug.

It was the most suitable product for some patients, particularly advanced cancer victims in a lot of pain who were being cared for at home and who could not swallow large quantities because of their condition, he said.

In the hospital, while there was none available, there were alternatives such as injecting morphine to ease excruciating "breakthrough pain''.

"But when someone in a very advanced state of cancer is being cared for at home who wants to make a pin-cushion out of them? "How do you tell someone who's suffering intense pain why we don't have what they need for relief?'' He feared since demand was not constantly heavy a decision had been made at the wholesaler that it was not "economically viable'' to stock it.

The highly concentrated powder could be mixed with a weaker liquid form of morphine to minimise the amount a patient had to swallow for high levels of relief while minimising discomfort.

And one Bermudian who every day tends to a cancer-stricken relative contacted The Royal Gazette about the difficulties in obtaining the drug to stop the "agony''.

And she said she knew of others who also needed it.

"Why make them suffer? It's absurd. Even if there is only one person, does that make it all right for this not to be available? "I have been lucky because the Clarendon Pharmacy have gone out of their way to help me get my hands on this for the acute pain I see every day -- even arranged to have some Fed-Exed in.'' She had watched her relative -- who did not want to be named -- go from an "amazing, strong'' person to someone who may not make it past Christmas.

"But surely in this, their final stage of life, we should do everything we can to make them as comfortable and dignified as possible. We're talking about advanced cancer not the common cold,'' she said.

BGA Group of Companies Pharmaceutical Division spokesman John Turner said they worked very hard to "provide whatever medication is needed here''.

It was difficult to gauge demand which swung wildly for this product, he said.

"And morphine is a material that is open to abuse by certain elements of the community so how we store and how we buy it is strictly controlled.

"Having said that, for us at BGA theft would not be a reason for not bringing it in. We do our best.''