An ongoing crisis in the availability of drugs is not only threatening patients but sending costs soaring in hospitals. Shut out by primary suppliers, hospitals say they are forced to purchase the medications—for chemotherapy and other serious matters—from secondary markets at drastically inflated prices. While drug shortages are nothing new a record number occurred in 2010. The FDA—the governmental agency which tracks and monitors the problem—says the trend is intensifying in 2011 and that the problem is particularly acute in the matter of older, sterile injectable drugs. While manufacturers are encouraged to report shortages, also addressing reasons and expected duration, they aren’t required to do so. Manufacturing issues are the major reason for drug shortages. Production delays, resulting, for example from slowdowns in delivery of raw materials, are another reason. Discontinuation is a third category; often drug companies cease making a less profitable product in favor of a more economically viable one. The FDA has no oversight regarding the pricing of drugs. A 30-minute webinar discussing drug shortages is scheduled for September 30 at 11 a.m. EST (fda.gov).
