Patients suffer due to shortage of hundreds of essential medicines in America
There is a shortage of essential medicines in America for some time now. Thousands of patients are in trouble due to delay in supply of medicines for cancer and other fatal diseases. Hospitals are running out of stock of medicines required for lead poisoning or bypass surgery. Some antibiotics are also not available in sufficient quantities. The closure of some companies due to shortage of raw materials, quality issues and lack of funds has affected the supply of hundreds of medicines.
Drug shortages are so severe that President Joe Biden and Congress have turned their attention to the problem. The generic drug market has been hit the most. In the US, doctors prescribe nearly 90 percent of generic drugs to patients. The government has discussed the matter with generic drug makers, supply chain and patent experts over the past few weeks. The shortage of generic drugs for chemotherapy of lung, breast, bladder and ovarian cancer is a big concern. Professor Dr. Amanda Feder at Johns Hopkins Medicine School says, this is a public health emergency. Last week, the American Cancer Society warned that supply delays could have serious consequences for patients.
The government is considering measures such as tax concessions to generic drug manufacturers. The existing provisions favor drug manufacturers who have low prices. Due to this, questions have also been raised on the quality of medicines. The Food Drug Administration has shut down many generic drug plants due to poor quality. The agency has told the government that the generic drug industry is facing a severe shortage of funds. Three companies buy 90 percent of generic drugs in the US.
Drug shortages are so severe that President Joe Biden and Congress have turned their attention to the problem. The generic drug market has been hit the most. In the US, doctors prescribe nearly 90 percent of generic drugs to patients. The government has discussed the matter with generic drug makers, supply chain and patent experts over the past few weeks. The shortage of generic drugs for chemotherapy of lung, breast, bladder and ovarian cancer is a big concern. Professor Dr. Amanda Feder at Johns Hopkins Medicine School says, this is a public health emergency. Last week, the American Cancer Society warned that supply delays could have serious consequences for patients.
The government is considering measures such as tax concessions to generic drug manufacturers. The existing provisions favor drug manufacturers who have low prices. Due to this, questions have also been raised on the quality of medicines. The Food Drug Administration has shut down many generic drug plants due to poor quality. The agency has told the government that the generic drug industry is facing a severe shortage of funds. Three companies buy 90 percent of generic drugs in the US.