A severe lack of Chemotherapy Drugs in the USA has generated discussions related to the need to enhance the nation’s drug supply. The group of lawyers claims that the ongoing system is heavily reliant on a restricted number of producers to manufacture in-demand medicines, resulting in an acute shortage of critical medicines.
Severe Shortages and Rationing of Cancer Drugs
The shortage of cancer medicines, consisting of commonly utilized cisplatin and carboplatin, has reached such a stage that oncologists are being forced to save medicines, requesting patients travel to other cities for necessary treatment or rely on alternative methodologies which have a higher risk of side effects. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently enabled temporary imports of non-FDA-approved versions of medicines such as cisplatin from a foreign manufacturer in China, which has somewhat reduced the severe shortage in certain localities. But certain clinics that shifted patients to other platinum-based treatments are now lacking those medicines, creating a difficult scenario.
Dependence on Few Manufacturers and Fragile Supply Chain
The US drug supply chain is weak due to its overdependent on a limited number of producers to meet the needs of approximately half a million cancer patients every year. The shutdown of a single factor or quality issue can result in a notable ripple effect on the availability of these critical drugs. According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, there was a shortage of cisplatin in the month of January and carboplatin in March following the Indian factory halting its production because of concerns about overall quality.
Calls for FDA Expansion of Authority
More and more people are urging the FDA to expand its authority in order to address these critical shortages. Many advocates are proposing the agency use its power to necessitate producers to report noticeable increases in demand so that shortages of critical drugs can be noticed as soon as possible. However, Congress is still debating the extent of the FDA’s authority relating to this matter.
The severe shortage of cancer drugs exposes US’ weakness in the nation’s drug supply chain. Rapid actions are required to be taken to ensure the availability of life-saving drugs for cancer patients.
