shortage of 50/200CR extended release C/L
 

my pharmacist can't get the mylan brand. also says not a lot of regular 25/100 mylan C/L available. here's the official shortage notice from the FDA. 'this is just slightly alarming, is one generic mfg buying up all the raw materials? sorry if this info turns out to be wrong and it's a false alarm.

FDA Drug Shortages

Thanks Soccer,

That would not be good news for PD'ers. I've been getting worried about the generic manufacturers and their product. I had major issues with generic Lexapro by Aurobindo Pharma and another manufacturer with side effects bad enough to alter my life for a short period. Have read online forums where others are suffering as well. Whether it's a shortage or lousy fillers or barely enough main ingredient even by FDA rule, my gut tells me it's all about the money without concern for peoples' lives as usual. I did report my issue to the FDA with this link if anyone has an issue with a drug.... MedWatch Voluntary Report

Eric

not a false alarm unfortunately
 

We have experienced this shortage in Pittsburgh with the 25/100 mylan C/L. My mom's pharmacist can't get any. My sister ended up tracking down 30 or so pills at a pharmacy in Philadelphia, and she was able to get them for my mom with her prescription and her insurance information. So a short-term solution for you could be asking friends or relatives in other cities to ask at their pharmacies? Seems like just a temporary fix, though -- and just a matter of time until the shortage becomes nationwide.

We tried calling the manufacturer, etc. and all they said was "supply chain issue." Not having the Mylan 25/100 for a few days really was a setback for my mom and I'm worried about what will happen if we can't track down any more. Truly awful that these manufacturers can't get their acts together to make the product that so many people rely on. As Eric points out though, it may just be about the money for them...

at 1 time a lot of drugs were manufactured in puerto rico.

Puerto Rico is the reason for the shortage...read this early today

Hurricane Damage in Puerto Rico Leads to Fears of Drug Shortages Nationwide - The New York Times

For whatever it's worth, we first had a shortage of the 25/100 Mylan in Pennsylvania on August 30, well before Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico. There were no pills in all of Pittsburgh and it took several pharmacies in Philadelphia to come up with a small supply for my mom. So while the hurricane may have exacerbated things, there were supply issues prior.

the larger issue is there should be no shortage of a simple generic used by a large number of people in the U.S. and people need to complain to their congress people.

and try to keep 1 months supply in reserve of your main pd drug and settle for a generic if you have to. global supply chains seem to be the norm and natural disasters more common. heck, if we had a cure this wouldn't matter. yet we spend how much on just slightly better pd drugs like azilect and can't get a generic drug that's been around for over 40 years? and then your chain pharmacy always goes for the cheapest generic since pharmacy benefit managers pay them so little over their cost, no incentives to make a better generic. talking only about the u.s.

I know it's probably a lot more expensive, would it make sense to buy brand name for a month or so until generic production ramps up?

i did buy the brand name sinemet once, got a deal and it was still $200 and i'm almost sure it is the same as the MYLAN generic. looks the same, acts the same. My pharmacy can get MYLAN 25/100, said it took awhile but didn't elaborate and pharmacist quite busy so didn't pursue trying to find out what he had to do to get it.

This was posted by the Parkinson's Disease Foundation on their Facebook page:

People have been calling our Helpline reporting being impacted by a shortage of Sinemet CR, the extended release formulation of carbidopa and levodopa. We’ve been in touch with the manufacturers who acknowledged the shortage and anticipate resupply by late October. People who are impacted by this shortage should talk to their neurologists about three potential options: (1) your pharmacy may have Sinemet CR pills in different dosages, and you may be able to take a different combination of pills; (2) your neurologist may be able to substitute immediate release Sinemet, or (3) your neurologist might recommend a new extended release formulation, Rytary. Please call our Helpline, 1-800-4PD-INFO (473-4636) for assistance.