Drug shortages. I feel like I receive emails every week
regarding this issue. Why oh why, must there always be some type of
drug shortage? From propofol
to viokase to armour thyroid, drug shortages exist- with no answer or
estimated date in which the the FDA will review it to be put back on the
market. Luckily, through education, most patients understand that the
FDA is reviewing their medication-but once it goes on "shortage"... will
we ever get the medication back in circulation? Day by day, new shortages occur- when will it ever slow down?
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) have addressed this issue in their survey,
published this past summer. In this survey, pharmacists were about two
thirds of the healthcare professionals consulted. consulted. The
overall feeling to the shortages? Frustration. Their survey showed that 1
in 4 professionals consulted for the survey stated that their hospitals
had actual errors occur, 1 in 5 stated that there were adverse patient
outcomes due to this shortage.
And then there's the expense to the patient. Sure, the drug may be on
shortage, but the alternative may be non-formulary or may cost a lot
more to the patient. Besides that, the patient gets even more confused,
which can lead to more potential for non-compliance. How can we put a
stop to all this?
And this isn't just happening in the US. Canada reports having a shortage of tetracycline. Canadian pharmacists are just as disgruntled as they are facing shortages as well.
What can we do about this issue? Not much, so it seems... hopefully
there will be higher standards on drugs approved in the market, and
hopefully turn-around times will decrease once a drug is recalled. Only
time will tell. Until then... I'll recommend an alternative to the
shortages.....