‘Severe’ prescription drug shortage: Governors urge Congress to take action
As the U.S. struggles with the shortages, a group of Republican governors wrote a letter to Congressional leaders, citing shortfalls of critical meds like amoxicillin and called for added transparency in the pharmaceutical supply chain.
“[W]e know that you take the health of your constituents and the American people seriously. We, as Governors of our states, have a responsibility to our citizens’ health, as well,” states the letter, dated Aug. 29. “A widespread and long-lasting shortage of critical drugs has been impacting the United States of America for years. Many of the most used prescription drugs in the country are facing extensive shortages — drugs like albuterol, amoxicillin, and chemotherapy drugs. Too often, there is no good explanation for why. These shortages are not new, but they are becoming more frequent and more severe. Pharmacists in our states are having to tell patients that they don’t have critical medicine available. Nobody should have to experience that kind of worry, especially not in the United States of America.”
“It’s just a travesty that this is the level of health care in the United States of America right now,” Stephen Divers, an oncologist in Hot Springs, Ark., told BenefitsPRO earlier this year. Divers said he had to delay or change treatment for numerous bladder, breast, and ovarian cancer patients because his clinic could not find enough cisplatin and carboplatin. Results from a recent survey of academic cancer centers found 93% couldn’t obtain enough carboplatin and 70% had cisplatin shortages.
The governors’ letter also notes that more than 80% of active ingredients in prescription drugs sold in this country come primarily from China and India — a limited supply chain that the governors argue “creates a national security risk and leaves America competing with other nations for essential resources.”
Besides Gov. Noem, the following governors signed the letter: Sarah Sanders (Arkansas), Eric Holcomb (Indiana), Kim Reynolds (Iowa), Tate Reeves (Mississippi), Mike Parson (Missouri), Greg Gianforte (Montana), Joe Lombardo (Nevada), Chris Sununu (New Hampshire), Greg Abbott (Texas), and Mark Gordon (Wyoming).
The letter – addressed to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Minority House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — calls on Congress to consider policy solutions aimed at addressing shortages. Those considerations include:
- Transparency in the pharmaceutical manufacturing chain — from sourcing raw materials to the finished product, including country-of-origin labeling.
- Increased diversity in the manufacturing of generic medications.
- Transparency from the FDA related to shortages and events that cause supply disruption.
- Re-examination of FDA guidance related to expiration dates.
- Waivers to allow purchasing of medications from Canada to quickly expand the supply chain.
- Creation of a regulatory environment more favorable to U.S. manufacturing.
- Requiring a risk assessment of foreign-source active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Related: Where’s my prescription? Drug shortages drive up consumer prices
As the governors claim, drug shortages are not a new problem in the United States. A 2019 U.S. Senate report indicated that significant shortages existed prior to the pandemic, which only exacerbated the problem.
According to a report released earlier this year by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, as part of the Department of Health and Human Services, drug shortages not only impact the ability to fill prescriptions and lead to higher drug prices, but they also disproportionately impact older consumers between the ages of 55 and 85.