Hospital Groups Plan to Launch a Company to Manufacture Generic Drugs

Manufacturers of generic drugs likeTeva Pharmaceutical have been suffering serious financial reverses (see: Teva warns on profit as drugmaker's problems deepen). Moreover, periodic shortages of generic drugs have been exacerbated by the fact that some of them are manufactured by only one company (see:New Study Highlights Escalated Dangers of Generic Drug Shortages). Here is a quote from this article:In 2011, 251 drug shortages occurred, 73% of which were generic sterile injectables that served as treatments for sepsis, cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses. In February 2011, the FDA announced a severe nationwide shortage of norepinephrine, the first-line vasopressor for treatment of hypotension in septic shock, due to production interruptions at three drug manufacturers....Norepinephrine use, which is recommended in international guidelines as a primary treatment of septic shock, declined by more than 20% from baseline during the time of its shortage in the hospitals evaluated. The study ’s results revealed a strong and consistent trend between the periods of norepinephrine shortage and increased death in patients with septic shock.In response to the problems surrounding generic drugs and the unreliability of this market, several non-profit health systems including more than 450 hospitals are in the process of launching a company to manufacture inexpensive generic drugs (see:Hospital Groups Creating Company to Make Cheap Generic Drugs). Below is...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Food and Drug Administration Healthcare Business Healthcare Innovations Hospital Executive Management Pharmaceutical Industry Quality of Care Source Type: blogs