Opinion: Presidential candidates aren’t talking about drug shortages. They should be
In the conclusion of her recently published book, “Bottle of Lies,” Katherine Eban briefly notes that the Food and Drug Administration avoids sanctioning generic manufacturers that sell drugs that are in short supply regardless of how poorly manufactured or counterfeit they are. “Drug shortages had become a game,” she writes, “and the FDA was getting played.” Eban quotes an assessment by former FDA inspector Peter Baker: “There are no consequences for companies that are shipping substandard product. … It’s a win-lose situation and [patients] are the losers.”
Quality concerns aside, the FDA reports that there are currently more than 150 drugs and biologics in shortage. These include anesthetics, antibiotics, antimicrobials, cardiovascular medications, and chemotherapy products. Last November, the FDA concluded that the occurrence of drug shortages is increasing, the durations are longer, and both the intensity and public health impact are high. The primary reason for supply shortages is low prices. That’s not surprising, since these drugs are ostensibly generics, sole-source contracts, and complex supply chains, or some combination of the three.
