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Pandemic is causing “unacceptable” shortages of US drugs, report says
The coronavirus pandemic is causing an “unacceptable” shortage of drug supplies in the US, according to a report from the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota.
The report says the shortage has limited 29 of 40 drugs critical to treating COVID-19 patients, including propofol, albuterol, midazolam, hydroxychloroquine, fentanyl, azithromycin and morphine, according to the American Society of Health System Pharmacists.
The FDA, which has stricter criteria for shortages, shows that 18 out of 40 are on the drug shortage list.
Another 67 of the 156 acute critical medications, including diazepam, phenobarbital, lidocaine and acetaminophen, are in short supply, according to the report.
“Drug shortages can be a matter of life and death, and some shortages mean that a life-saving drug is not available to American patients at any cost,” the authors wrote.
“The urgency of the drug shortage problem is directly related to the large increase in COVID-19 cases that we will experience in the coming months,” said Michael Osterholm, director of CIDRAP, in a press release.
‘This, in turn, will dramatically increase the need for specific drugs for the treatment of COVID-19, while at the same time, COVID-19 is having a major impact on two of the three key drug manufacturing areas in the world. world: India and Italy, ”added Osterholm.
