US Continues to Face Drug Shortages

Once again we are facing national shortage of key drugs, including anesthetics, painkillers, antibiotics, and cancer treatments. We have written several times about previous drug shortages, all resulting in little to no beneficial long-term action. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists maintains a list of drug shortages, which is currently 150 drugs and therapeutics long. The 150 drugs are at inadequate supply levels for a multitude of reasons, ranging from manufacturing problems to federal safety crackdowns to drug makers abandoning low-profit drugs. While the shortages have long been public knowledge, what hasn't been in the public eye as much is the rationing that results from the shortages. Why Does This Continue to Happen? While there are a multitude of reasons behind the continuing saga of drug shortages, one such reason is that many drugs are made by only one manufacturer, so production or safety problems at just one plant can have huge ramifications. For any other company to begin making comparable drugs and getting them approved by regulators requires a magic equation of manufacturing capabilities and economic incentives. Other reasons may include product quality concerns, difficulty in acquiring component parts or active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), increases in demand, and shipping delays, among many other things. Another reason is in the US there are Medicare Price Controls on generic injectable drugs under Medicare Part B. Drug Rationin...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs