WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st June, 2023) Data gathered on the significant drug shortages oncology patients are facing in the United States hopefully can help the Biden administration and lawmakers in developing solutions to address the crisis, advocacy group leaders told Sputnik.
"Yes, there are major drug shortages happening in the US. In particular, cisplatin and carboplatin are in short supply," American Childhood Cancer Organization (ACCO) CEO Ruth Hoffman said.
She also noted that these drugs are used to treat adult cancer patients, who have alternate treatment protocols designed to try to accommodate the drug shortage.
Hoffman emphasized that the ACCO, along with its partners from the Alliance for Childhood Cancer (ACC) and other organizations, are holding a survey to highlight the impact of the shortage on pediatric patients.
Out of 170 families that responded to the questions so far, almost half indicated that a drug required for treating their child's cancer experienced a shortage or was unavailable during the course of treatment, she said.
"Some families indicated that they experienced a shortage of vincristine. Approximately 27% of respondents indicated that their child experienced a treatment delay due to the unavailability of a drug during the course of treatment," Hoffman added.
Co-chair of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer Sarah Milberg told Sputnik that the survey's organizers plan to bring its results to the US authorities.
"Our hope is to use this information to work with policymakers in Congress and the Administration on solutions to address cancer drug shortages," Milberg said.
American Cancer Society (ACS) and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) CEO Karen Knudsen said in a statement provided to Sputnik that chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer have returned to the list of top-five drug classes affected by the shortage.
"The shortage of certain cancer drugs has become a serious and life-threatening issue for cancer patients across the country," Knudsen said, adding that some medications do not have an effective alternative.
This situation could lead to delays in treatment and worse outcomes in curing a number of cancers, including triple-negative breast cancer, ovarian cancer and leukemia, she warned.
Knudsen called on US Congress to find out long-term solutions of the issue. She also urged the industry to cooperate with medical practitioners in identifying possible alternatives to ensure that cancer patients' treatments are not delayed.
