Community | February 27, 2009 | 11 comments

FDA reports medication shortage

source: http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_11761040?source=rss

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Patients, hospitals face shortages of some medications.

Periodic shortages of pain relief medications have caused problems in recent months for some area hospitals and the patients who rely on them.

On its Web site, the Food and Drug Administration reported the shortage of oxycodone immediate release tablets in 5, 15 and 30mg.

Erica Abbett, a spokeswoman for drugmaker Covidien, explained the shortage this way: "Currently there is an industrywide supply issue with oxycodone-related products. The situation is due to multiple factors, including two competitors' products being removed from the market because of recalls.

"Covidien has significantly increased our product output as a result of the supply issue, however we alone cannot meet the total demand for these products. We are working diligently to ensure that interruption of patient access to vital pain management products, like oxycodone, is minimized," Abbett said.

The medicines affected are grouped mostly among the narcotics, said Andrew Lowe, Director of Pharmacy at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Among those he cited are morphine-related Oxycontin, Percocet and Vicodin, all derivatives of oxycodone.

"There is nothing specific (to cause the shortages) that they have told us about," Lowe said. "It's usually a manufacturing problem.

"There has been no action by the FDA" that could have caused it, he said.

Oxycontin is oxycodone in a time-released formula, and its generic cousin oxycodone releases the drug without
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delay. Percocet is a combination of oxycodone and Tylenol, Lowe said.

The shortages at Arrowhead have occurred in oxycodone and Percocet. Last month, Vicodin was in short supply. Supplies of morphine, a well-known and widely used generic, have not been affected, Lowe said. Supplies of Norco, a combination of acetaminophen and hydrocodone, have been unaffected. Lowe described Norco as the most widely used legal narcotic in the Inland Empire.

Brian Kawahara, chief of pharmacy at Jerry L. Pettis Veterans Administration Medical Center in Loma Linda, said the supply there has been in flux. "It varies from day to day. It has a kind of domino effect.

"It is taking a while for the supply lines to get back to normal" from an earlier shortage, Kawahara said.

The shortage has been "mainly narcotics," he said. "That's why I am being cautious.

"I don't want to say what I have and what I don't," the pharmacy chief said, "because those are drugs that are highly abuseable.

"We are getting supplies," he confirmed.

When asked if his caution was from fear of theft, Kawahara said, "You could say that."

Do you know when supplies will be normal again, he was asked.

"If I could predict like that," Kawahara said, "I'd be sitting on a yacht."

Lowe at Arrowhead didn't seem particularly worried about the situation. "Shortages occur periodically," he said. "We just find an alternative."
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11 comments // FDA reports medication shortage

  • BlondieGirl79
    • 0
      BlondieGirl79  

    • As someone who has a debilitating nerve disease I am quite scared for myself and my mom who has cancer pain. Yesterday I could not get my Klonipine because they didn't come which was weird because they always have them. Also my mom's cancer med's weren't in. It pisses me off that the DEA is scaring pharmacists and the people who rob them are not helping at all!

      I don't want to feel like a criminal because I take medicine for pain. I will have this disease for the rest of my life. The irresponsible action of Doctors and patients because it takes 2 needs to stop. It is not right for those with real pain to have to deal with this! People could get very sick without their medication!

      This is just sad I mean really sad and unfair to those with real pain!

    • 4 months ago
  • JohnnySoftware
    • 0
      JohnnySoftware  

    • What a coincidence - Oxycontin, Percocet and Vicodin: those are the same addictive drugs that are heavily abused, and obtained by armed robbery, theft, and fraud! At least that is what I noticed from reading the news. Maybe if there was less lying & stealing, there would not be a shortage!!

      Oh, and who is pointing out the "supply shortage" - the manufacturer!

    • 2 years ago
  • sickinFLA
    • 0
      sickinFLA  

    • As a result of two failed spinal surgeries, I have been on narcotic pain medications for at least a decade. I most recently was taking two 30 mg oxycodone tablets three times daily. With the "shortage" (it's not a shortage; there is none at all anywhere in the state of Florida) I have been switched to one 10/325 mg. Percocet four to six times daily.

      This morning I tried to fill my second monthly prescription for generic Percocet, and nearly every drugstore locally is now out of that, as well. I finally found a drug store that sent a clerk to its other branch to get its supply, and was able to fill part of my 180-pill prescription. The pharmacist has "no idea" when she can fill the rest.

      Talk about "domino effect"! What's next???

      And why have we patients been so left in the lurch? Is it because these medicines are narcotic? I thnk that's reprehensible. They've been prescribed by licensed pain-management physicians (in my case, anyway) and there should be no so-called moral component to this "shortage."

    • 3 years ago
  • HeroMAY
    • 0
      HeroMAY  

    • Medication shortage they call it? Sounds like the banker pigs with their supply and demand scare tactics again.

      *smh*

    • 3 years ago
  • nazbags
  • sickinjersey
  • karensue
    • 0
      karensue  

    • Yep, and as mentioned in the "Norml" posts, I am on one of the aforementioned meds after a horrific car crash that basically crippled my spine, and my life as well.
      The only way of actually having ANY life at all is through 30mg Oxycodone several times a day.

      Now they (my doctors) have had to raise me up to something called Opana, which is probably "better" for my condition, but far too strong for my body. I take 10 mg of this in the same way.. the same amount a day.

      See "Norml" ad, I am unsure if it would help me entirely, but the sleep apnea would be gone. That is FOR SURE.

      Sincerely,
      karensue

    • 3 years ago
  • RubyJ
    • 0
      RubyJ  

    • It is unfortunate that they would shut down a drug company without giving other companies time to get up and running with a drug that works against pain. Pain management is a major problem, and the medical community is finally trying to get a handle on it. If the pharm companies can't produce, we have problems.Just imagine a shortage on pain medication. I would think it would be a good idea to have a back up plan.

    • 3 years ago
  • cerealforeal
  • troyez
    • 0
      troyez  
    • cerealforeal:

      Yeah, weed is the same as oxycodone, retard. This is an issue of injured vets not getting pain medication that helps them function day-to-day, so keep your moronic hippie slogans to yourself, you douche-bag.

    • 3 years ago
  • nkeg87
    • 0
      nkeg87  

    • The shortage is causing all sorts of problems in the pharmaceutical industry. And it wasnt just narcotics. Blood pressure meds were affected too. In my experience, the FDA shutdown a company that was a huge producer and supplier and its having a domino affect on the entire industry, and that was almost 2 months ago. I almost wish the FDA had given other companies time to produce more before shutting down Ethex because from the reports, the patients were technically in greater harm from not getting the drugs than gettiing the bad ones.

    • 3 years ago
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