Cancer drug shortage eases slightly, but it’s still ‘living from paycheck to paycheck’
“Sometimes we have to look for completely different chemotherapy regimens that maybe were studied outside the U.S. that have similar efficacy and change things up. But it's absolutely not ideal.”
The shortage of cancer drugs is not going away, but it may be easing slightly, a new national survey suggests. Based on questions posed to 29 of its 33 member hospitals, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network said Thursday that 86% of those cancer centers are experiencing a shortage of at least one type of generic chemotherapy drug, down from 90% in May.
Both surveys focused mostly on two platinum drugs, carboplatin and cisplatin, that are prescribed to treat multiple cancer types, including lung, breast, prostate, and gynecologic cancers, as well as many leukemias and lymphomas. They’re important therapies for children’s cancers, too, where there tend to be fewer alternative medications. Lacking access to those two drugs is particularly worrisome because in past shortfalls, one could be substituted for the other without significantly affecting treatment. Last month 72% of the centers said they were experiencing a shortage of carboplatin (down from 93%) and 59% are still seeing a shortage of cisplatin (down from 70%).
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