May 23, 2026 - The South Caucasus News - SouthCaucasusNews.com

A campaign launched by a group of students from Ilia State University managed to raise GEL 1,000,000 (USD 375,000) in less than three days for children diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), as officials continue to refrain from granting parents’ requests for access to modern medication, citing risks and costs associated with the treatment.

Students from “Protect Iliauni,” an initiative opposing controversial education reforms set to gut Ilia State University, Georgia’s top public academic institution, launched the campaign on the evening of May 20 with an initial goal of raising GEL 100,000 (USD 37,500) through non-stop social media livestreams. The campaign was meant to cover urgent needs for children diagnosed with DMD, including wheelchairs, adapted vehicles, and respiratory equipment.

“When the state does not take responsibility for the children’s lives and health, or for bringing the necessary medication into the country, the involvement of citizens is crucial,” the students said in their video address.

By early May 23, however, the campaign had raised more than ten times its original target, surpassing GEL 1 million as the solidarity drive drew broad support from the public, small and large businesses, publishers, prominent public figures, and senior members of Orthodox clergy.

As part of the campaign, students also travelled to Kobuleti municipality in the coastal Adjara region, more than a four-hour drive from the capital, to congratulate 12-year-old Mate Verulidze on his birthday and deliver gifts.

Around 100 children in Georgia are reported to live with DMD, a rare genetic muscle-wasting disease. Primarily affecting boys, symptoms usually appear between ages 2 and 5, leading to loss of mobility by age 10, and early mortality, typically between ages 25 and 30.

For over a year, parents have been calling on authorities to fund newer medications such as givinostat (Duvyzat) and vamorolone, which they say are approved or conditionally approved by leading drug agencies and used in Western countries, and can help slow disease progression. On April 20, they started non-stop round-the-clock rallies in front of the government administration building in Tbilisi, also organizing regular, larger protest marches in the capital every Sunday.

Georgian Dream government officials have voiced scepticism about the newer treatments, arguing that there is insufficient evidence of their effectiveness and that they may only delay disease progression and complications by a limited number of years. Authorities have also cited high costs associated with introducing newer medications.

During the May 19 press remarks, GD Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze pointed to the government’s responsibility towards Georgian taxpayers to spend budget money “rationally,” arguing that “a simple question” must be asked on whether the money can be spent “rationally” and produce “proper results,” or whether it would “simply enrich the pharmaceutical mafia.” He estimated the money that must be spent annually from the budget to cover the treatment at around GEL 50 million (USD 19 mln).

Parents and other critics have strongly criticised the remarks as misleading and insensitive.

On May 19, after repeated requests from parents, newly enthroned Patriarch Shio III agreed to meet with them, with the Church expressing readiness to get involved in finding a solution.

Students and supporters have also been collecting signatures, both online and in person, as part of a petition calling on authorities to fund newer treatments for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

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