Drug discontinuation or lack of financial incentive: 2% As might be expected, the top reason for drug shortages revolves around quality concerns. Availability and Estimated Shortage Duration Related Information Shortage Reason (per FDASIA) 2 mg/mL, 1 mL vial (NDC 0641-0121-25) Inventory is currently available. Drug shortages are a complex, global problem. Link the whole card. Discontinuations Listed by Generic Name or Active Ingredient. Known for being one of the nation’s leading pharmacy staffing agencies for over three decades, HCC has been in the business of Pharmacy Consulting for 31+ years now. Central nervous system drugs (included are drug treatments in patients with anxiety, insomnia, stress, etc.) The pharmacist certainly cannot fill the prescription for a medication that is unavailable, the nurse in clinical settings cannot administer to their patients what the pharmacy can’t supply to them, the patients cannot get the medicine that they need for their specific individual medical condition, and the doctor or physician can’t utilize the chosen and preferred method for helping to treat his or her patient in receiving the highest possible level of acceptable and preferred medication to ensure that the his/her patient receives the very best treatment that there is. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2012;90:158-158A. Drug Shortage Bulletins are copyrighted by the Drug Information Service of the University of Utah, provided by ASHP as its exclusive authorized distributor, and used with permission. A drug shortage is a situation in which an authorization holder for a drug is unable to meet the demand for the drug. There is a wide range of causes for medicine supply shortages, some of which could be dealt with by government agencies. We can provide proven expertise and experience in all facets of pharmacy operations, including retail, hospital and all specialty pharmacy venues. The total number of annual new shortages has reached its highest number since 2012 (186 new shortages in 2018).1Of the more than 12 facility types included in this survey, 100% were impacted by drug shortages, making drug shortages a universal problem across the care continuum. Since drug shortage is inevitable, policy makers should be provided with dependable and appropriate information to offer successful and efficient management for the problem [2, 5,19]. However, no medicines’ regulatory agency can mandate that a manufacturer produce a specific product. Preserving Access to Life-Saving Medications Act. A majority of participants felt that drug shortages had affected their patients. In the wake of Hurricane Maria… Manufacturing quality problems have been implicated in shortages of products produced by a limited number of suppliers, such as propofol, 3 imiglucerase and agalsidase β and influenza vaccine. There were 166 new drug shortages in 2019. HR 2245. Also, training for your staff on how to address drug shortages (and documenting that you do have such training and that every employee receives it) is also a must! S 296. According to a recent infographic supplied by FDA, quality issues affect 6… We offer consulting and permanent placement opportunities throughout the country as well as temporary pharmacy placement in select states. According to Canadian pharmacists, drug shortages have increased during the past 3 to 5 years. The number of reports submitted per year can be seen in Figure 2. Fentanyl is the drug most often involved in overdoses in the US, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Among the common drug classes in short supply from 2010 through 2014, according to statistics gathered by the University of Utah Drug Information Service, are … Methods: An online survey was sent to the 1322 members of the … Quilty S, Harris LM, Kewley J, Jones A, Pearce R, James R, et al., et al. When stratified by PA-PSRS harm score, the majority (71.0%; n = 318 of 448) of drug shortage events reached the patient (harm score category, C to I; Figure 1). doi: 10.2471/BLT.11.101303, Shortages of essential medicines, among them generic injectable chemotherapy agents, are causing increasing concern in the United States of America (USA).1,2 However, the problem is far wider, affecting other classes of medicines including injectable anaesthetic agents, such as propofol, intravenous nutrition and electrolyte products, enzyme replacement products and radiopharmaceuticals.3–5 Medicine shortages have also been noted in Australia and Canada.6,7 A recent commentary in a Belgian pharmacy journal claims that the problem is global – “from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe” – listing 21 countries affected by a variety of supply problems.8 A shortage of the injectable antibiotic streptomycin was reported in 15 countries in 2010, with 11 more countries predicting their stocks would run out before they could be replenished.9, This problem does not seem to be that new: concern about prescription medicine shortages was raised in the USA at least a decade ago.10 The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ web site (available at: http://www.ashp.org) shows 208 products were not available, with another 114 shortages resolved and 21 products removed from the market in the USA (as of 9 December 2011). EPS prescriptions need to state; 1. These were followed by: For the 2019 list regarding the causes of the new drug shortages, the majority were classified as “unknown cause” (over 80%). © 2021 Healthcare Consultants Pharmacy Staffing. A drug shortage also provides an opportunity to do a full medication assessment or review to determine the overall appropriateness of drug therapy . Shortage of streptomycin: time for a change of approach? Status: Open . Drug shortages are always a frustrating situation for everyone involved in patient medical healthcare: the physicians, the nurses, the pharmacists and obviously the patient. Shortages present serious safety risks for patients and substantial burden on providers and the healthcare system. The Drug Information Service at University of Utah Health Care has tracked the total number of drug shortages per year, with the data showing 2011 as the largest total in history with 267 drug … Note that this annually updated statistical report even includes the data from last year or 2019. In September 2011, the Council of the International Pharmaceutical Federation called on “all stakeholders, including governments, pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacy wholesalers, pharmaceutical purchasing agencies, medicine insurance plans, pharmaceutical regulators and the pharmacy profession to urgently evaluate these issues and work to ensure continuity of medication supply so that the appropriate treatment of patients can be initiated and maintained”. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Bethesda, United States of America.