In this article it talks about how there has been unexpected and widespread shortages over the
past couple of years. Doctors have been struggling with shortages in common anesthetics, and an irreplaceable muscle relaxant needed for patients in emergency situations. Similar scenarios have been happening throughout the country and around the world. In the U.S., there have been as many as 15 deaths due to ongoing shortages. Some of the pharmaceutical industry experts have stated that they think the situation is only going to get worse unless there is more pressure put on the drug companies to prevent future shortages. Drug makers have agreed that they will give advanced notice about shortages through an online database, but this does not solve the overall problem. This is just a way to deal with the shortages. Dr. Malcolm Moore of Princess Margaret Hospital (in Canada) said, “It’s not enough it’s a way of dealing with a crisis . . . but it’s not a solution.” Doctors and physicians of Canada and the U.S. have reported that the shortages have caused delays and cancellations in medical procedures. They said that alternative
procedures don’t work as well, they can be more toxic, have unexpected side
effects, and may not even work at all.
past couple of years. Doctors have been struggling with shortages in common anesthetics, and an irreplaceable muscle relaxant needed for patients in emergency situations. Similar scenarios have been happening throughout the country and around the world. In the U.S., there have been as many as 15 deaths due to ongoing shortages. Some of the pharmaceutical industry experts have stated that they think the situation is only going to get worse unless there is more pressure put on the drug companies to prevent future shortages. Drug makers have agreed that they will give advanced notice about shortages through an online database, but this does not solve the overall problem. This is just a way to deal with the shortages. Dr. Malcolm Moore of Princess Margaret Hospital (in Canada) said, “It’s not enough it’s a way of dealing with a crisis . . . but it’s not a solution.” Doctors and physicians of Canada and the U.S. have reported that the shortages have caused delays and cancellations in medical procedures. They said that alternative
procedures don’t work as well, they can be more toxic, have unexpected side
effects, and may not even work at all.
Pharmaceutical companies have pointed to issues out of their control as the recent source of the problem. Such as, problems with raw materials, and regulatory measures that causes delays.
Many pharmacists and physicians don’t believe that explanation, and have argued that the shortages are driven by profit motivated decisions. But, a recent study found that the central cause of the shortages to be a combination of the factors stated above along with the demand has increased and the production rate has stayed the same. So, companies in both the U.S. and Canada have plans to boost production, but it could be years before hospitals and pharmacies notice the effects of the changes.
Many pharmacists and physicians don’t believe that explanation, and have argued that the shortages are driven by profit motivated decisions. But, a recent study found that the central cause of the shortages to be a combination of the factors stated above along with the demand has increased and the production rate has stayed the same. So, companies in both the U.S. and Canada have plans to boost production, but it could be years before hospitals and pharmacies notice the effects of the changes.
In my opinion, this is a very dangerous issue to many people’s health. They need to find a solution not only for notifying the pharmacies and physicians but a solution to the whole problem and why it is happening. Once again it all comes back to how important the pharmaceutical industry is to people’s well-being, especially those suffering life threatening diseases.
Sources:
http://www.thestar.com/article/1085977--it-makes-you-think-there-s-something-wrong-with-the-whole-system-that-needs-to-be-fixed
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