Patients 'orphaned' of care only because the medicine they need is there, but it cannot be found since supplies have run out. It happens to many patients who are battling cancer as well as other pathologies, such as infectious diseases such as AIDS.
From the congress in Chicago, the experts of the Asco launch the alarm 'missing drugs' and dedicate a session to it. The president of the scientific society, Michael P. Link, mentions "the case of methotrexate, the only available therapy against acute lymphoblastic leukemia", which has created serious problems overseas.
But in general "it is not a US issue, but a global emergency. A number one priority for the FDA", says Sandra Kweder, of the US regulatory agency. "The lack of drugs is a problem for doctors, for companies, but above all for patients," explains the official, deputy director of the FDA's Office of New Drugs. "Not being able to guarantee all patients the care they need, when they need it, is unacceptable," he continues.
"The problem has several faces: sometimes economic reasons weigh", for example the fact that producing certain medicines, perhaps old and with little market, is no longer convenient for pharmaceutical companies. "But in most cases the key factor is related to production: a technical hitch, or perhaps the closure of a plant due to non-compliance with international quality standards.
We, as the FDA, can prevent these situations - Kweder points out - but only if the production problem is notified to us immediately. In fact, thanks to rapid notification, in the last period we have managed to avoid 150 cases of drug shortages. Dialogue with companies is therefore crucial, and then the inventory databases must always be monitored".
The Asco also makes its requests: "Notify the medical community of any product withdrawals from the market or production interruptions 6 months in advance, and provide appropriate economic incentives" to overcome the fa
