[olsen]

US shortages of key drugs are endangering patients
Article | 4 May 2011
In the USA, doctors, hospitals and federal regulators are struggling to cope with an unprecedented surge in drug shortages that is endangering cancer patients, heart attack victims, accident survivors and a host of other ill people, reports Rob Stein in The Washington Post.

A record 211 medications became scarce in 2010 - three times the number in 2006 - and at least 89 new shortages have been recorded through the end of March, putting the nation on track for far more scarcities.

(Initially, I suggested "tongue in cheek" that the government should nationalize the pharmaceutical Industry. I now think it a viable solution to all the difficulties with this industry. Madelyn)

http://www.thepharmaletter.com/file/...m_medium=email

[ol'cs]

the reason our home drug supply is drying up is "outsourcing". Pharma companies find some other country that says it can make the same drugs as we can, using GMP (good manufacturing procedures), but then, somebody screws up, and the whole batch is shot, then down the line there's a shortage.

Originally Posted by olsen

US shortages of key drugs are endangering patients
Article | 4 May 2011
In the USA, doctors, hospitals and federal regulators are struggling to cope with an unprecedented surge in drug shortages that is endangering cancer patients, heart attack victims, accident survivors and a host of other ill people, reports Rob Stein in The Washington Post.

A record 211 medications became scarce in 2010 - three times the number in 2006 - and at least 89 new shortages have been recorded through the end of March, putting the nation on track for far more scarcities.

(Initially, I suggested "tongue in cheek" that the government should nationalize the pharmaceutical Industry. I now think it a viable solution to all the difficulties with this industry. Madelyn)

http://www.thepharmaletter.com/file/...m_medium=email