Paramedics challenged by drug shortages

[JetPhoto 626]

Local EMTs challenged by drug shortages

Drug manufacturers give a bevy of reasons for shortages, including manufacturing delays; increases in demand; material shortages; and, in some instances, suspended manufacturing.

http://www.recordonl.../NEWS/206010353

Drugs in Short Supply

Atropine: Increases heart rate

Calcium chloride: Used during cardiac arrest

Dextrose: Supplements glucose for hypoglycemia

Diazepam: Suppresses the spread of seizure, eases anxiety

Diltiazem: Treats high blood pressure, chest pain

Diphenhydramine: Treats allergies

Etomidate: Used for sedation

Lidocaine: Treats burning or stabbing pains during heart attacks

Lorazepam: Relieves anxiety

Magnesium sulfate: Treats asthma, heart attack and irregular heartbeat

Naloxone: Treats opiate overdose

Sodium bicarbonate: Relieves heartburn and acid indigestion

Vasopressin: Used for cardiac arrest

Vecuronium: Muscle relaxant

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Edit: added drugs

Edited June 1, 2012 by JetPhoto

[Goose 188]

Morphine may also be on that list. I had to restock at a local hospital pharmacy and they had to actually pull a vile off a floor for me...said that its been hard to come by lately. Really sad situation.

[Ladder44 73]

zofran as well.........we were down to 20 vials for 28 ALS bags......you do the math

[JetPhoto 626]

Time for these drug companies to start hiring more people to make more drugs.

[Goose 188]

Time for these drug companies to start hiring more people to make more drugs.

The infrastructure is there, the problem is there is no money to be made in these medications....so the companies end up devoting more production capacity and other resources for drugs they can charge more for. I guess the theory is why make 20 cent vials of morphine when you can make produce antivirals and cancer medications that are billed at 300 dollars a bottle...

[ny10570 745]

Drug companies have to turn a profit. That profit funds research and keeps investors coming back. Annual production is intended to meet annual supply plus mandated surpluses. With a thin profit margin on these generic drugs there isn't a lot of room for competition. This has resulted in a single manufacturer for many components and products. With one place making just enough to supply demand, a small interruption in production has far reaching affects.

Its not like the demand for Atropine, Morphine, and many other essential meds changes much year to year. So why would a company make more? It will just expire on the shelf and cost them more money. This is why there's the mandated surpluses.

[Bnechis 3,961]

Add Epi-Pens to the list. Last year they "repackaged" it into a "2-Pak" which means you buy 2 epi-pens and a little plastic clip to hold them together. and the price went up 4 times. Last year the wait on the repackaging was 4-6 months. Right now I've been on back order since April.

I understand they need to make money, but it was not that long ago that they were the top profit industry in the world and now they are playing games with peoples lives.

[dadbo46 50]

Do I dare say that it is time for government intervention ?

[EdAngiolillo 61]

The infrastructure is there, the problem is there is no money to be made in these medications....so the companies end up devoting more production capacity and other resources for drugs they can charge more for. I guess the theory is why make 20 cent vials of morphine when you can make produce antivirals and cancer medications that are billed at 300 dollars a bottle...

Exactly! Its a trickle-down effect. Some big pharmas are stopping low-profit production lines and moving the employees to higher-profit/output lines to avoid layoffs. The demand is still there and it falls to the other big pharmas to play catch-up ball. Add to that demand companies that have merged and haven't been granted approval to operate again until the FDA pushes through the paperwork.

[WAS967 97]

I love when the media explain what drugs do.

Sodium bicarbonate: Relieves heartburn and acid indigestion

Also good if you want to bake a cake!

[Ladder44 73]

zofran gods came this week finally

[Hatchet67 0]

I would also like to "relax" with some vecuronium.......