(Reuters)—The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the agency was working with several pharmaceutical and medical device companies in Puerto Rico to prevent shortages of medical products in the U.S. as it joins a massive effort to help rebuild the island that was ravaged by Hurricane Maria.1 Drugmakers are working to get…
Drug Shortages in U.S. Emergency Departments on the Rise
(Reuters Health)—U.S. emergency rooms are increasingly running short on medications, including many that are needed for life-threatening conditions, a recent study documents. Since 2008, the number of shortages has risen by more than 400%, researchers found. Half of all emergency room shortages were for life-saving drugs, and for one in 10 there were no available…
Greece Bans Export of 25 Drugs after Pharmacists’ Supply Warnings
ATHENS (Reuters)—Greece has decided to ban the export of 25 types of drugs, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday, following warnings by pharmacists that they faced difficulties in securing some supplies. A ministry spokeswoman said the Greek drugs regulator had told a meeting at the ministry on Friday —when the pharmacists made their warnings—that there had…
Greece’s Medicine Supply May Be in Jeopardy
BASEL, Switzerland (Reuters)—Drugmakers said on Monday they would continue to ship medicines to Greece in coming weeks, despite mounting unpaid bills, but warned supplies could be in jeopardy if Europe did not take emergency action. “In the worst-case scenario of ‘Grexit’, we believe the integrity of the medicines supply chain may be in jeopardy, which…
FDA Seeks Comments on Drug Shortages
As reported last month (“Rheumatologists Struggle with Drug Shortages,” October 2011, p. 51), a bill (S. 296) proposed in the U.S. Senate would require drug manufacturers to notify the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of factors that might lead to a drug shortage.