Shortages at Washington-area hospital: Children are Dying

[Anonymous]

I'm a little horrified by this article:

http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/children-are-dying/index.php

My kid was in the NICU this winter, receiving IV nutrition. She's healthy now, but others aren't, and it burns me to think she might have been stinted on basic nutrition without me knowing.

[Anonymous]

I just read the entire article and you're right, OP, this is horrifying. I can't believe this has been going on under the radar for so long. One more terrifying thing for a NICU parent to consider.

[Anonymous]

What the hell? Just like PP said, it's horrifying! Why is this allowed to happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What the hell? Just like PP said, it's horrifying! Why is this allowed to happen?

From the article, it looks like there are a lot of different factors and no one stepping up to the plate to make this a priority issue. Hospitals are not forthcoming about the problem, so parents have no idea and those that do know are acting like their hands are tied (e.g. manufacturers and FDA). It truly is shameful.

[Anonymous]

As someone who works in pharmaceuticals and recently dealt with a shortage. It's complicated. Part of it is supply & demand. Sometimes demand goes up an manufacturers can't react fast enough. There has been a lot of merging & buying of companies. As an example, 10 companies make a generic drug, but only 2 supply the starting material to make it. Those 2 have trouble manufacturing then everyone suddenly can't manufacture it. Profit is another part of the puzzle. If there is no profit, the incentive to manufacture deminishes. Usually a shortage will drive the price up 10-20x. It's not as though drugs grow in trees. They are subject to many market forces. It's unfortunate, but micro premies are incredibly delicate and I would imagine many things could go wrong besides supplement issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who works in pharmaceuticals and recently dealt with a shortage. It's complicated. Part of it is supply & demand. Sometimes demand goes up an manufacturers can't react fast enough. There has been a lot of merging & buying of companies. As an example, 10 companies make a generic drug, but only 2 supply the starting material to make it. Those 2 have trouble manufacturing then everyone suddenly can't manufacture it. Profit is another part of the puzzle. If there is no profit, the incentive to manufacture deminishes. Usually a shortage will drive the price up 10-20x. It's not as though drugs grow in trees. They are subject to many market forces. It's unfortunate, but micro premies are incredibly delicate and I would imagine many things could go wrong besides supplement issues.

If the free market can't handle it, then it has to become a basic "commodity" controlled by the govt. That's how things should work.

[Anonymous]

Did pharmacist read the article? The reasons for the shortages are indeed complex and were given. Many of the companies did stop making the drugs because they were not profit centers, others were running dirty places and instead of compying with FDA standards of cleanliness, shut down instead. Seems nobody knows about this so there's no outcry.

Let's cry out. Thanks for posting, OP. I don't usually like things that depress me but this one feels like something we can maybe do something about. Sadly, it will be too late for many kids.

[Anonymous]

Oh my god, this is horrible.

And I can't believe the U.S. is struggling along with 25-year-old technology while Europe has better, modern nutrients available. That's proof that turning medicine into a money-making enterprise in the U.S. hasn't helped us at all. We're turning into a third-world country that can't even protect and nourish its most vulnerable citizens.

[Anonymous]

and what is the fda busying themselves with these days? labeling vitamins? how about redirecting those vitamin label funds. or water bottle label funds (it's water!!!!)

[Anonymous]

What? This makes me want to to cry.

[Anonymous]

This also reminds me of how my progesterone injections during my first pregnancy were available through a compounding pharmacy and were pretty affordable, and then they suddenly became the name brand drug "Makena" and became available only through one company and hugely expensive. I think there was an outcry about it and maybe things have changed since I last looked into it, but the point is - it's just a race for profits no matter what for these drug companies. Here's a link to an article about the controvery if anyone is curious:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/41994697/ns/health-pregnancy/t/premature-labor-drug-spikes/

[Anonymous]

Really, really unbelievable and sad. Am currently pregnant and this just petrifies me.

[Anonymous]

Here is the petition started by one of the moms in the article. This problem can be solved if there is a large enough public outcry.

https://www.change.org/petitions/senator-tom-harkin-ia-and-representative-fred-upton-mi-compel-fda-to-end-iv-drug-shortages-now

[Anonymous]

I read the article and wasn't convinced it was a real problem. A dozen babies possibly died?

The FDA is a bureaucracy. They don't actually encourage manufacturing, they just put up barriers that increase manufacturing costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who works in pharmaceuticals and recently dealt with a shortage. It's complicated. Part of it is supply & demand. Sometimes demand goes up an manufacturers can't react fast enough. There has been a lot of merging & buying of companies. As an example, 10 companies make a generic drug, but only 2 supply the starting material to make it. Those 2 have trouble manufacturing then everyone suddenly can't manufacture it. Profit is another part of the puzzle. If there is no profit, the incentive to manufacture deminishes. Usually a shortage will drive the price up 10-20x. It's not as though drugs grow in trees. They are subject to many market forces. It's unfortunate, but micro premies are incredibly delicate and I would imagine many things could go wrong besides supplement issues.

If the free market can't handle it, then it has to become a basic "commodity" controlled by the govt. That's how things should work.

+1!