According to research published in the news report, drug shortages have increased in the last four years. A breakout of yearly drug shortages showed a reported increase from 70 drug shortages in 2006, to 129 drug shortages in 2007 and 211 drug shortages in 2010, according to the news report.
Indiana physicians, including oncologist Larry Cripe, MD, at the Indiana University School of Medicine, have been forced to re-think which patients should have priority to receive drugs and which patients can afford to have treatment delayed by several days. Dr. Cripe said the short-term delays have no significant impact on the outcome of treatment, according to the news report. Physicians, however, may struggle to help their patients understand that.
“You have to be very careful to help them understand that the delay in treatment is better than suboptimal treatment,” Dr. Cripe said. “It’s not anyone’s fault, and it’s out of anyone’s control.”
Hospital pharmacists are also turning to compounding pharmacies and drug manufacturers to more quickly obtain hard-to-find drugs. Like physicians, pharmacists are also forced to prioritize which patients should receive a scarce drug and which patients should receive an alternative drug, according to the news report.
Read the news report about drug shortages in Indiana.
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