Doctors Having To Ration Cancer Drugs Amid Shortages

ABC News: Cancer Drug Shortage Is Forcing Doctors To Decide Which Patients Get Treatment 
Just six weeks ago, Greg DeStefano began a new chemotherapy combination. The 50-year-old, from Northbrook, Illinois, had recently been diagnosed with his fourth round of cancer and doctors were hopeful the medication would treat the tumors growing in his neck. DeStefano was responding well, but then, in late May, he got a call from his doctor and was told one of the three drugs he was receiving -- carboplatin -- was under a global shortage and because of the way the hospital had to prioritize treatments, he wouldn't be qualified to receive it anymore. (Kekatos, 6/2)

In other pharmaceutical news —

Reuters: Pfizer Says Its Experimental Antibiotic Combo Can Treat Some Superbug Infections
Pfizer Inc said on Thursday data from late-stage trials showed its experimental combination of antibiotics was effective in treating deadly infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria. Deaths from antibiotic-resistant bacteria, also known as superbugs, have been on the rise globally, and health regulators have called for the development of newer treatments as resistance to older antibiotics grows. (6/1)

On the weight-loss drug frenzy —

AP: FDA Warns Consumers Not To Use Off-Brand Versions Of Ozempic, Wegovy 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to use off-brand versions of the popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy because they might not contain the same ingredients as the prescription products and may not be safe or effective. Agency officials said this week that they have received reports of problems after patients used versions of semaglutide, the active ingredient in the brand-name medications, which have been compounded, or mixed in pharmacies. Officials didn’t say what the problems were. (Aleccia, 6/1)

Fox News: Ozempic, Wegovy And Pregnancy Risk: What You Need To Know About The Issue
The two semaglutide-containing medications — Ozempic for type 2 diabetes control and Wegovy for weight loss — could also pose a serious risk to unborn babies. Animal studies have shown that when pregnant rabbits, rats and monkeys were given semaglutide, they experienced higher rates of miscarriage, birth defects and small fetal size — information that’s included in the drug labels for both medications, which are made by Novo Nordisk in New Jersey. (Rudy, 6/1)

Stat: Insurance Alone Didn’t Guarantee Ozempic Adherence, Study Finds
Having insurance coverage alone doesn’t guarantee that people can afford or would be willing to pay continuously for chronic disease medications like Ozempic, a new, large-scale study finds. Looking at insured patients with type 2 diabetes and heart failure, researchers found that people with higher prescription copayments were less likely to consistently take glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) — two classes of drugs that yield additional, long-term benefits compared with older treatments but are also costlier. (Chen, 6/1)

In related news about weight loss —

Stat: Top Surgery Is Safe For Fat Patients, But Some Surgeons Mandate Weight Loss
Vince Wescott was ready for top surgery. He had the cash saved up, he’d gotten a letter from his therapist, and he’d sent in the required photos of his chest and torso in preparation for a consultation. When his surgeon’s office called unexpectedly, he picked up, assuming that they were missing paperwork or needed to reschedule. But he was met by the panicked voice of a nurse. “The doctor had a look at the pictures and your weight is very concerning,” Wescott remembers her saying. “He is not going to be able to do this unless you lose about 100 pounds.” (Conley, 6/2)