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Early Notifications from Manufacturers Have Helped FDA Decrease Drugs in Shortage
While drug “shortages remain a serious, complex problem,” Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made progress in reducing the number of drugs in shortage in the six months since President Obama issued an Executive Order to address the issue. “Early notification to FDA of potential disruptions in drug supply has made a huge difference in our efforts – and the numbers really tell the story. Since reaching out to industry, there has been a six-fold increase in early notifications from manufacturers,” states Margaret Hamburg, MD, commissioner, FDA. Hamburg indicates in an FDA blog post that in the six months since the executive order was issued, FDA has “been able to prevent 128 drug shortages,” and that there were fewer shortages: “42 new drugs in shortage reported in 2012, compared to 90 new shortages at this time last year.” Hamburg cited examples such as supplies of cancer drugs to treat childhood leukemia and ovarian cancer that are currently meeting all demand, and noted that FDA is “working hard” to help resolve shortages of other drugs including other types of cancer treatments and anesthesia drugs.
