Drug shortages in U.S. is currently hitting a 10-year high – By Madison Selcho (Deseret News) / May 18, 2023
Dr. Williams Dahut said, ‘If these drugs are not available, people are going to get inferior care’
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists released data that shows the drug shortage situation in the U.S. is hitting a 10-year high in the first quarter of 2023.
Medscape reported, “Among the top five drug classes affected by shortages are chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of cancer, many of which do not have alternatives.”
Why is this important? The New York Times reported that the American Cancer Society’s chief medical officer, Dr. William Dahut, said, “If these drugs are not available, people are going to get inferior care,” while further emphasizing, “These aren’t third- or fourth-line drugs where there are multiple other agents around. These are used up front for people you are trying to cure.”
The report also found that even though drug shortages last typically about 1.5 years, “15 critical drug products have been in shortage for over a decade,” according to CNN.
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