Vincristine is an old drug that is a pillar of oncology treatment, especially for children with cancer. It was approved by the FDA in 1963 under the brand name Oncovin. It was originally developed from the Madagascar periwinkle. Several years ago there were serious shortages of this compound. Fortunately, those drug shortages have been resolved. But now there are critical shortages of three other chemotherapy meds: ifosfamide, carboplatin and cisplatin.
There are no great substitutes, so oncologists may be facing the prospect of having to ration the drugs. How can this problem continue to plague the United States in 2026?
Why Are There Drug Shortages of Key Cancer Drugs?
Drug shortages have been a problem for so many years we have lost count. No one seems to have a solution. The FDA does not have the ability to compel or even encourage pharmaceutical manufacturers to produce more of a critical medication.
No other governmental agency has authority either. It is totally up to pharmaceutical companies to determine what they will make, when they will make it and how much they will charge. No one–not doctors, not pharmacists, not hospital administrators and not patients–has any say in the matter. As a result, patients may miss out on crucial medicines.
That’s especially worrisome when it comes to cancer chemotherapy. Currently there are serious shortages of carboplatin and cisplatin. Cisplatin was first approved by the FDA in December 1978 under the brand name Platinol. Carboplatin was approved in March 1989 under the name Paraplatin. Ifosfamide was given the green light in 1988 under the brand name Ifex.
Unlike many of the latest cancer treatments, these older generic drugs are not expensive. They are used to treat a variety of malignancies from lung, ovarian, testicular and breast cancer to head and neck cancers. Doctors are having to make difficult decisions about who will get treatment and who won’t. Or, they may have to change treatment schedules to make such drugs stretch longer.
Unless the pharmaceutical industry, government regulators and legislators can find a solution to this chronic problem, drug shortages are likely to continue.
Previous Drug Shortages That Endangered Children with Cancer:
In 2012 we wrote about a shortage of preservative-free methotrexate. Doctors use this medicine to treat youngsters with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), one of the most common childhood cancers. With treatment, approximately 80% of children with this form of leukemia survive. Without treatment, however, many die.
The reason for that shortage was traced to manufacturing quality control problems at a plant in Bedford, Ohio. Although oncologists feared that months would pass before adequate supplies would become available again, other companies scrambled to meet demand. That shortage lasted several weeks.
Shortages of Generic Drugs:
Serious drug shortages have occurred repeatedly over the last two decades. Most of the time, the drugs in short supply are generic medications. No one seems to be able to explain why generic drug companies are no longer making adequate amounts of medicine to meet the needs of the nation.
Some have blamed companies for putting profits ahead of patients’ lives. For the generic drug manufacturers of America to retain the respect and goodwill of the public, they will have to come up with a workable solution to prevent the kind of drug shortages that put people’s lives at stake.
Lawmakers have been discussing the problem of drug shortages for years. They have consulted many experts. To this day, though, they have not come up with any solutions to combat drug shortages.
