U.S. Scrambling to Ease Shortage of Vital Medicine

[Anonymous]

This is on the Drudge Report:
Federal officials and lawmakers, along with the drug industry and doctors’ groups, are rushing to find remedies for critical shortages of drugs to treat a number of life-threatening illnesses, including bacterial infection and several forms of cancer.
The proposed solutions, which include a national stockpile of cancer medicines and a nonprofit company that will import drugs and eventually make them, are still in the early or planning stages. But the sense of alarm is widespread.So far this year, at least 180 drugs that are crucial for treating childhood leukemia, breast and colon cancer, infections and other diseases have been declared in short supply — a record number.
Legislation proposed in both the House and the Senate would give the Food and Drug Administration the power to demand that drug makers give early warnings of possible supply disruptions. “I can’t say the drug companies are excited” about the proposed legislation, she said in an interview. “But we need to give the F.D.A. more time.”
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...what goes around comes around....pharmacists in this country are going back to making the drug with the dry ingredients.
More laws = more fines = less jobs!!!!

 

[Anonymous]

This is on the Drudge Report:
Federal officials and lawmakers, along with the drug industry and doctors’ groups, are rushing to find remedies for critical shortages of drugs to treat a number of life-threatening illnesses, including bacterial infection and several forms of cancer.
The proposed solutions, which include a national stockpile of cancer medicines and a nonprofit company that will import drugs and eventually make them, are still in the early or planning stages. But the sense of alarm is widespread.So far this year, at least 180 drugs that are crucial for treating childhood leukemia, breast and colon cancer, infections and other diseases have been declared in short supply — a record number.
Legislation proposed in both the House and the Senate would give the Food and Drug Administration the power to demand that drug makers give early warnings of possible supply disruptions. “I can’t say the drug companies are excited” about the proposed legislation, she said in an interview. “But we need to give the F.D.A. more time.”
.
...what goes around comes around....pharmacists in this country are going back to making the drug with the dry ingredients.
More laws = more fines = less jobs!!!!

Are you brand new in the industry? Pharmacists always know how to do compounding. It is routine for hospital/clinical pharmacists on a daily basis. Some retail pharmacists specialize in this. Ask your customers and they will tell you several in your territory. Other reasons for the shortage are not enough profit for the older drugs and less incentive to upgrade manufacturing to comply with all the new guidelines. We are one of the most obese and sick countries and yet we have more laws making sure drugs are "safe". Fat Americans demand the safest drugs in the world even though they are dropping from heart attacks.

 

[Anonymous]

Are you brand new in the industry? Pharmacists always know how to do compounding. It is routine for hospital/clinical pharmacists on a daily basis. Some retail pharmacists specialize in this. Ask your customers and they will tell you several in your territory. Other reasons for the shortage are not enough profit for the older drugs and less incentive to upgrade manufacturing to comply with all the new guidelines. We are one of the most obese and sick countries and yet we have more laws making sure drugs are "safe". Fat Americans demand the safest drugs in the world even though they are dropping from heart attacks.

The problem with compounding is that you need the raw ingredients and they are not available in any form. As OP said, some chemo IVs are not available but they cannot be compounded because the ingredient is not available at all. To the PP- Before Rogaine solution was available, I remember making a solution for an attending out of Loniten tablets and a liquid vehicle. Loniten was available thus it could be made. If Loniten (minoxidil) is not available, it cannot be compounded so OP, there are problems even pharmacists will not be able to overcome.

 

[Anonymous]

No vital medicines? Then learn how to get healthy.

 

[Anonymous]

The problem with compounding is that you need the raw ingredients and they are not available in any form. As OP said, some chemo IVs are not available but they cannot be compounded because the ingredient is not available at all. To the PP- Before Rogaine solution was available, I remember making a solution for an attending out of Loniten tablets and a liquid vehicle. Loniten was available thus it could be made. If Loniten (minoxidil) is not available, it cannot be compounded so OP, there are problems even pharmacists will not be able to overcome.

Good point. All these regulations are ruining us. If the old method of producing a product worked for years, why regulate it out of existence? Or in reality we simply shift the production to another country and harm the locals? If so, the regulators are hypocrites.

 

[Anonymous]

Good point. All these regulations are ruining us. If the old method of producing a product worked for years, why regulate it out of existence? Or in reality we simply shift the production to another country and harm the locals? If so, the regulators are hypocrites.

AH,,,,now this was the point of the posting. REGULATIONS are killing us.
Go Rick Perry. He kills regulations. Check out the wins in Texas.