A Call to Address the Cancer Drug Shortage
A Call to Address the Cancer Drug Shortage
Hello, I'm Dr. Maurie Markman from the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. I want to briefly discuss a very serious problem with which all oncologists have been forced to be confronted over the last number of months, and the problem seems to be getting worse. This relates to the shortages of anticancer agents, generally generic drugs.
It is very difficult to understand how this could be happening. We certainly have a process in this country where our drugs are first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and then at some point they become generic. When drugs become generic, it does not mean that they are without value to patients. In fact, the drugs that continue to be used are drugs like cytarabine, cisplatin, carboplatin, and paclitaxel, all of which have been shown to be extremely important and are routinely used.
And yet, for reasons that most oncologists and certainly their patients don't understand, there seems to be a major economic disincentive to manufacture some of these agents, and a shortage has developed. We all understand that there have been problems with issues at the plants that have stopped the drugs from being produced. However, the bottom line is that drugs that are often necessary are simply not available for oncologists to use when they need them.
The potential for negative clinical outcome is very real and appears to be getting worse. The point of this message is for all of us involved to consider what we can do to make sure that those who make decisions about developing, manufacturing, or paying for drugs, and also Congress and legislators, understand the seriousness of this problem so that it is fixed.
We simply have to come up with a solution so that these anticancer agents that are no longer on patent will be available when they're needed. We do not want to have any patient's outcome compromised, either from the point of view of survival or quality of life because a drug is simply not available because there is no interest in manufacturing it.
I thank you for your attention. This is clearly a matter that needs to be continually discussed and for which a solution needs to be found. Thank you.
Hello, I'm Dr. Maurie Markman from the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. I want to briefly discuss a very serious problem with which all oncologists have been forced to be confronted over the last number of months, and the problem seems to be getting worse. This relates to the shortages of anticancer agents, generally generic drugs.
It is very difficult to understand how this could be happening. We certainly have a process in this country where our drugs are first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and then at some point they become generic. When drugs become generic, it does not mean that they are without value to patients. In fact, the drugs that continue to be used are drugs like cytarabine, cisplatin, carboplatin, and paclitaxel, all of which have been shown to be extremely important and are routinely used.
And yet, for reasons that most oncologists and certainly their patients don't understand, there seems to be a major economic disincentive to manufacture some of these agents, and a shortage has developed. We all understand that there have been problems with issues at the plants that have stopped the drugs from being produced. However, the bottom line is that drugs that are often necessary are simply not available for oncologists to use when they need them.
The potential for negative clinical outcome is very real and appears to be getting worse. The point of this message is for all of us involved to consider what we can do to make sure that those who make decisions about developing, manufacturing, or paying for drugs, and also Congress and legislators, understand the seriousness of this problem so that it is fixed.
We simply have to come up with a solution so that these anticancer agents that are no longer on patent will be available when they're needed. We do not want to have any patient's outcome compromised, either from the point of view of survival or quality of life because a drug is simply not available because there is no interest in manufacturing it.
I thank you for your attention. This is clearly a matter that needs to be continually discussed and for which a solution needs to be found. Thank you.
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