Posted on Jun 7, 2023
A 'life-threatening' shortage of cancer drugs has Kansas doctors rationing medications
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Kansas health care providers are scrambling to respond to a global shortage of chemotherapy drugs.
For over a month, doctors at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Cancer Center have struggled to get their hands on enough chemotherapy drugs to treat their patients.
First, their shipments of carboplatin — typically used to treat breast, ovarian and several other cancers — were delayed. They were able to switch some patients onto cisplatin, another platinum-based drug that’s similarly effective but can have more side effects.
Then, their cisplatin shipments stopped arriving on time.
To make dwindling supplies stretch longer, doctors began rounding patients’ doses down by as much as 10% — within professional guidelines — and began bracing for the need to take more drastic action if the shortage persists.
For over a month, doctors at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Cancer Center have struggled to get their hands on enough chemotherapy drugs to treat their patients.
First, their shipments of carboplatin — typically used to treat breast, ovarian and several other cancers — were delayed. They were able to switch some patients onto cisplatin, another platinum-based drug that’s similarly effective but can have more side effects.
Then, their cisplatin shipments stopped arriving on time.
To make dwindling supplies stretch longer, doctors began rounding patients’ doses down by as much as 10% — within professional guidelines — and began bracing for the need to take more drastic action if the shortage persists.
A 'life-threatening' shortage of cancer drugs has Kansas doctors rationing medications
Posted from kcur.org
Cancer
Medical
Health
Pharmaceuticals
Posted 11 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel considering how much cancer is being discovered daily, it’s either going to empty the supply, a research study will find something more effective or people will die on their own terms reference to “ Tuesdays With Morrie”
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced efforts to mitigate the shortage, including working with a currently unapproved Chinese pharmaceutical company to temporarily import more cisplatin. The agency indicated it’s also exploring options for importing more carboplatin.
But it’s uncertain how immediate the relief will be — and how many patients will be impacted before the problems are resolved.
“Everybody’s very concerned about this,” Holle said. “It’s not clear what sorts of legislative changes can make these shortages go away long-term. But we have to start thinking about how we can handle these sorts of things.”
Rose Conlon reports on health for KMUW and the Kansas News Service.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, KMUW, Kansas Public Radio and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy."
..."Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced efforts to mitigate the shortage, including working with a currently unapproved Chinese pharmaceutical company to temporarily import more cisplatin. The agency indicated it’s also exploring options for importing more carboplatin.
But it’s uncertain how immediate the relief will be — and how many patients will be impacted before the problems are resolved.
“Everybody’s very concerned about this,” Holle said. “It’s not clear what sorts of legislative changes can make these shortages go away long-term. But we have to start thinking about how we can handle these sorts of things.”
Rose Conlon reports on health for KMUW and the Kansas News Service.
The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, KMUW, Kansas Public Radio and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy."
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