Hospital Survey Reveals Widespread Drug Shortages, Care Rationing
An American Society of Health-System Pharmacists survey found 99% of hospital pharmacists reported some drug shortages, and 1 in 3 health systems had to delay, modify or cancel care. Also in the news: warnings over "compounded" weight loss drugs like weight-loss medication Wegovy.
USA Today:
Survey: Drug Shortages Are Widespread, Hospitals Ration Care
Hospital pharmacists said drug shortages have forced 1 in 3 health systems to delay, cancel or ration care or switch to alternate drugs to continue to treat patients. And 99% are reporting some drug supply shortages, an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists survey of more than 1,000 pharmacists released Thursday found. (Alltucker, 8/10)
In other pharmaceutical news —
The Baltimore Sun:
Family Of Henrietta Lacks Sues Pharmaceutical Company Days After Settlement With Biotech Giant
The family of Henrietta Lacks filed a lawsuit Thursday against a California-based pharmaceutical company in a continuation of her descendants’ efforts to recoup profits from companies they say are making money off the HeLa cell line. The new lawsuit, against Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, a publicly traded company specializing in treatments for rare diseases, comes just over a week after the former Turner Station resident’s family settled their first case against a biotechnology company under undisclosed terms. (Belson, 8/10)
Stat:
Where Are Patients Getting Their Prescriptions For GLP-1 Drugs?
As a new class of diabetes and obesity medications has soared in popularity, so have the online outlets built to get them in the hands of patients. A new analysis of claims data from Trilliant Health suggests that collectively, telehealth companies — in particular, cash-pay options that market directly to consumers — could account for many of the patients with insurance claims for GLP-1 prescriptions in 2022. (Palmer, 8/10)
Stat:
What To Know About Compounded Versions Of Wegovy, Ozempic
As demand for Ozempic and Wegovy surges, a little-noticed warning about the medicines was issued recently by regulators. In late May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it received a “few” adverse event reports concerning compounded versions of the injectable medicines, which both contain the same active ingredient, known as semaglutide. Wegovy is approved for weight loss, while Ozempic is prescribed for diabetes and is also sometimes used to treat obesity. (Silverman, 8/10)
Stat:
EPA Fines Roche's Genentech For Waste Violations
Following an extensive inspection, the Environmental Protection Agency fined Genentech more than $158,000 for hazardous waste violations at a facility in California, the latest instance in which a pharmaceutical company has been cited for failing to adhere to environment regulations. (Silverman, 8/10)
Stat:
TB Outbreak Tied To Bone Grafts Underscores Testing Shortcomings
One person has died and at least four have been sickened by tuberculosis in infected bone materials, an outbreak that has cast a spotlight on the shortcomings of testing for such tissue products. (Lawrence, 8/11)
KFF Health News:
New Alzheimer’s Drug Raises Hopes — Along With Questions
The FDA has approved Leqembi, the first disease-modifying treatment for early-stage Alzheimer’s and a precursor condition, mild cognitive impairment. Medicare has said it will pay for the therapy. Medical centers across the country are scrambling to finalize policies and procedures for providing the medication to patients, possibly by summer’s end or early autumn. It’s a fraught moment, with hope running high for families and other promising therapies such as donanemab on the horizon. Still, medical providers are cautious. “This is an important first step in developing treatments for complex neurodegenerative diseases, but it’s just a first step,” said Ronald Petersen, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center in Rochester, Minnesota. (Graham, 8/11)
KFF Health News:
A Blood Test That Screens For Cancer: Does It Do More Harm Than Good?
By summer 2021, Gilbert Milam Jr. was living a good life. A nationally renowned rapper who performs under the name Berner, Milam was also enjoying the global expansion of Cookies, a brand of cannabis products and clothing that he co-founded and was running as CEO. But Milam was haunted by a family history of cancer, including his mother’s death from stomach cancer at 54. So, at age 37, he told his physician in San Francisco that he wanted to take every precaution against being diagnosed too late to live a full life. As it happened, his doctor said there was a new test to try. (Kreidler, 8/11)
