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Drug Shortages: Resources for Assistance

As news of the leucovorin shortage spread, some health care professionals questioned the validity of the reports as well as the nature of the deficit. There are many theories as to why shortages occur, such as high demand, production challenges, manufacturing delays, transportation/shipping obstacles, and contamination or other quality issues. However, with leucovorin, the drug manufacturers did not release specific details surrounding the reasons. With few details being provided by manufactures, concerns began to emerge on how long the shortage would last and how patients currently on leucovorin should be treated. In an effort to address growing concerns, ASCO published a clinical alert on the leucovorin shortage.

ASCO obtained specific information on the shortages from two reliable sources: The American Society for Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both entities provide details on current and resolved shortages. The information provided by these two organizations is easily accessible and available to the general public.

• ASHP: http://www.ashp.org/Import/PRACTICEANDPOLICY/PracticeResourceCenters/DrugShortages/GettingStarted/CurrentShortages.aspx
  
• FDA: http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/shortages/default.htm#Current
  

The FDA provides manufacturer information, reasons for the shortage, and other general information. ASHP provides the same information in addition to estimated release dates. Both sites post ongoing updates when new information is released. The FDA offers providers the option to subscribe to a listserv, which e-mails updates and notifications of newly reported and resolved shortages.

The Web sites offered by the FDA and ASHP provide physicians, clinical staff, and office staff reliable information when drug shortages arise.

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This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Data Supplements Submit a response to this article Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a colleague Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Rights & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                            What's this?