Drug Shortage Endangers Kids with Cancer

The drug shortage in the United States is now endangering the lives of children with cancer. The FDA has announced that supplies of preservative-free methotrexate for injection are in dangerously short supply. This medicine is crucial for treating children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, one of the most common childhood cancers. With treatment, approximately 80% of children with this form of leukemia survive. Without treatment, however, many will die. The reason for the shortage has been traced to manufacturing quality control problems at a plant in Bedford, Ohio. Although other companies are scrambling to meet demand, it could be months before adequate supplies are available.
This is not the first time that there have been critical shortages of essential medications. The FDA seems powerless to do anything other than alert doctors and hospitals to the problem. Until generic drug companies figure out how to prevent such shortages, we are likely to face more situations in which lives hang in the balance.