Number Of Drug Shortages Research Articles

Antimicrobial stewardship efforts to manage a pentamidine shortage

The number of drug shortages quadrupled from 2004, with 58 shortages, to 267 in 2011.[1][1] Eighty percent of the 127 studied shortages in 2010–11 involved sterile injections, and the leading causes for the reported sterile injection shortages included problems at the manufacturing facility (43

DD-010 Online availability of oncology drugs affected by shortages

BackgroundThere has been a sharp rise in the number of drug shortages during the past few years and they present a daily challenge for hospitals worldwide. According to the EAHP...

Selenium Deficiency in Pediatric Patients With Intestinal Failure as a Consequence of Drug Shortage

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a lifesaving therapy for children with intestinal failure and can now be used chronically without the life-threatening complications of the past. Adequate intravenous trace element supplementation is required as part of a complete nutrition prescription. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the number of drug shortages, including sterile injectable agents used as PN components, has increased since 2010. Selenious acid as an individual additive was recently unavailable at our institution for 9 months due to a national shortage. To assess the impact of the selenious acid shortage, we retrospectively compiled data from existing clinical records for eligible patients. We included children with intestinal failure on full PN support who were older than 1 year at the onset of the selenium shortage. Whole-blood selenium concentrations prior to the selenious acid shortage were compared with concentrations drawn during the shortage. Five patients with intestinal failure and complete PN dependence were identified, and all 5 patients had normal serum selenium concentrations prior to the shortage. All 5 patients developed severe biochemical selenium deficiency in direct correlation with the shortage of selenium. No morbidity associated with selenium deficiency was observed. Selenium concentrations recovered after selenium supplementation was reinstituted. A national selenious acid shortage was associated with biochemical selenium deficiency in a cohort of children with intestinal failure. Despite very low selenium concentrations, none of our patients exhibited clinical signs of deficiency.

Need for standardization in assessing impact of antibiotic shortages on patient outcomes

Drug shortages have risen to the highest level in history. This precipitous upsurge has triggered multidisciplinary concern and ultimately led to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Safety and Innovation Act, a bill designed to alleviate the number of drug shortages in the United States.[1][1]

Drug shortages disrupt inpatient pain management

Drug shortages disrupt inpatient pain management

America's Drug Problem

AbstractAmerica has a serious drug problem. The problem is not abuse of prescription stimulants by students cramming for the SATs, nor is it the recent spate of violent attacks associated with the use of so‐called bath salts. Rather, the problem is a shortage of critical medicines. The American Society of Health System Pharmacists reports that over two hundred drugs are in short supply. The frequency and number of drug shortages are also increasing steadily, as seen in a recent Food and Drug Administration study that found that the number of reported drug shortages has nearly tripled, from sixty‐two in 2005 to 178 in 2010. There are few quick solutions to the crisis, and the long‐term effect of pending legislation and regulatory changes is unclear.

FDA, US Hospital and Pharmacy Groups Report Drug Shortages a Growing Problem

SHORTAGES OF PHARMACEUTICAL drugs, a long-standing problem in the United States, appear to be getting worse. Reports by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Hospital Association (AHA), and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists point to patients having to take less effective drugs or delay treatments because of shortages. The situation is prompting action in Congress, where legislation has been introduced that would give the FDA the ability to require early notification from pharmaceutical manufacturers when situations arise that may lead to a shortage of a particular drug. Currently, drug manufacturers are not required to notify the FDA about most potential shortages, although the FDA encourages notification. Companies that are the sole source of a medically necessary drug are legally required to inform the FDA 6 months before they stop making the product; however, there is no penalty if they choose not to do so. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the drug industry’s trade association, cites the following factors associated with drug shortages: natural disasters; shifts in clinical practices, wholesaler practices, and pharmacy inventory practices; shortages of the raw material used to manufacture a drug; adherence to FDA-mandated distribution protocols; and individual company decisions to discontinue specific medicines. According to the FDA, the number of drug shortages has nearly tripled over the last 6 years from 61 drug products in 2005 to 178 in 2010— and those shortages do not include vaccines, immunoglobulin products, and other biologics.