Scarcity of Vital Oncology Drugs: Finding Long-Term Solutions

摘要

H&O What has the last decade looked like in terms of shortages of oncology drugs? RLS While there have been periodic shortages of generic injectable oncology drugs throughout the last decade, the number of drugs in short supply has dramatically increased in the last 2 years. When considering all inject-able drugs in short supply across all therapeutic areas, the number of drug shortages has tripled since 2006. H&O What types of agents are in scarce supply? RLS Essentially, most of the agents in short supply are generic injectable drugs. Among the chemotherapy drugs, those most commonly in short supply have been 5-fluorouracil, racemic leucovorin, etoposide, daunoru-bicin, doxorubicin, carboplatin, cisplatin, cytarabine, and preservative-free methotrexate. It should be noted that other generic injectable drugs commonly used by cancer patients, including pain medicine and anesthetics, have also frequently been in short supply. The only brand name oncology drug to have been in short supply is Doxil (Janssen Products, LP), a liposomal formulation of doxorubicin.