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Drug shortages increasing for many reasons, FDA told
Medpage Today
WHITE OAK, MD — The increasing number of drug shortages has a variety of causes and will require corrective action on a number of fronts, according to panelists at an FDA meeting on drug shortages.
FDA called the meeting Monday in response to increasing reports of shortages for a variety of drugs, including chemotherapy drugs, drugs used in surgery and sedation, and antibiotics, as well as total parenteral nutrition products.
According to the FDA, there were 178 drug shortages reported last year, and even more so far in 2011. Edward Cox, coordinator of the drug shortage program at FDA, noted that in 2010:
* 54% of the shortages were due to quality or manufacturing issues * 21% were due to delays and capacity issues * 11% due to discontinuations * 5% due to raw material issuesThe agency expects that quality and manufacturing issues will account for an even higher percentage of the drug shortages reported in 2011, Cox said.
Underlying some of these issues, according to several panelists, is money. “Why would I make propofol for 48 cents for a 20-cc vial?” asked Robert Rifkin, MD, an oncologist at Colorado-based Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers and member of McKesson Specialty Health.
