August 24, 2023- According to a white paper released by Vizient, it is demonstrated how the lack of information about medication access across the supply chain is exacerbating the shortage of seven oncology drugs used to treat a multitude of cancers. In the survey results included in the paper, more than 94% of respondents reported an impact on pharmacy operations and patient care due to carboplatin and cisplatin shortages.
Six antineoplastic oncology medications are in short supply in the United States due to the December shutdown of a manufacturing plant in India — capecitabine, carboplatin, cisplatin, docetaxel, fluorouracil and methotrexate; a seventh, fludarabine, has been in short supply since 2019.
The total number of units of the seven drugs sold to Vizient Pharmacy Program participants, which includes 60% of the nation’s acute care hospitals, increased 12% January through May 2023 compared to the same time during the previous year, according to Vizient data. At the same time, the Vizient Clinical Data Base showed relatively flat growth (1.5%) during that time for patient volumes that would receive antineoplastics as part of their oncology medications.