06 May Despite New Federal Regulations, Many Acute Care Drugs Still in Short Supply

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Serene Chen

Serene I. Chen MD

Dr. Chen is an emergency medicine resident at Highland Hospital, in Oakland, California. She was a student at the Yale School of Medicine when this research was conducted.

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Dr. Chen: To address the rise in U.S. drug shortages, the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) was passed in 2012—and early evidence does suggest that the overall number of new shortages have decreased. However, we found that drugs that are frequently used emergency departments and other acute settings are still affected by more frequent and increasingly prolonged shortages.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Dr. Chen: We used national drug shortage reports collected from 2001 to 2014 by the University of Utah Drug Information Service. We found that half of all drug shortages involve acute care drugs; and that these shortages are increasing in frequency even after the passage of FDASIA. They are also more prolonged compared with shortages affecting drugs used in non-acute settings (median duration of 242 days for acute care versus 172 days for non-acute care drugs).

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from this report?

Dr. Chen: Our results suggest that drug supply for the acutely and critically ill patients remains vulnerable despite federal legislative efforts.

Citation:

I. Chen, E. R. Fox, M. K. Hall, J. S. Ross, E. M. Bucholz, H. M. Krumholz, A. K. Venkatesh. Despite Federal Legislation, Shortages Of Drugs Used In Acute Care Settings Remain Persistent And Prolonged. Health Affairs, 2016; 35 (5): 798 DOI:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1157

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

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Last Updated on May 10, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD