National drug shortage affects Southern Wisconsin hospitals
Photo 
Don Janczak
JANESVILLE — A national drug shortage is forcing local doctors to reschedule surgeries.
Area pharmacists said multiple drugs are in short supply. Although lives have not been threatened, elective surgeries have been rescheduled at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center to ensure an adequate amount of needed drugs is available for emergencies, said Don Janczak, director of pharmacy at Mercy.
More than 200 drugs are in short supply, Janczak said, and orders to drug wholesalers sometimes go unfilled or are filled only partially.
Drug shortages have tripled annually from 61 in 2005 to 178 last year, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Of the 127 studied shortages in 2010-11, 80 percent involved drugs given to patients through injection, including oncology drugs, antibiotics and electrolyte/nutrition drugs, according to the FDA.
The shortage hasn’t been much of a problem in retail pharmacies, said Joseph Riebe, pharmacist at Kealey Pharmacy in Janesville. An exception is Adderall, a drug commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Riebe said it’s virtually unavailable from any area pharmacy.
Pharmacists work with physicians to switch to appropriate alternatives, Riebe said. He’s been switching a lot of people from Adderall to Ritalin and hasn’t had “any real problems with coming up with an alternative for someone.”
Rescheduled surgeries at Mercy have included those requiring an anticoagulant. There’s not a shortage of anticoagulants, but the drugs used to reverse anticoagulation have been in short supply, Janczak said.
“The last three weeks or so, we’ve been struggling to maintain an adequate supply,” he said. “We’re fully stocked, now, so we’re OK. We had to make sure we had enough for trauma cases.”
Beloit Hospital hasn’t had to reschedule any surgeries, but they’ve come pretty close, said Patricia Brock, director of pharmacy for Beloit Health System.
“It’s impacted things like emergency syringes, pain killers, anesthetics and things used in surgeries,” she said. “It’s very difficult.”
Last week, Dean Clinic pharmacist Jeff Elser faced a new shortage for nystatin, used to treat yeast infections, and tetracycline, an antibacterial drug.
“These drugs are older than I am,” he said. “Just all of a sudden they have disappeared from the market.”
The two manufacturers of tetracycline only said it was temporarily unavailable with no estimated date of when it would be available. For nystatin, one company attributed the unavailability to raw materials, two companies discontinued making it and a couple other companies did not provide a reason, he said.
In the past, if a pharmacist was short on a drug, another hospital could lend a supply to be replaced later, Janczak said.
“Now, if I were to call another hospital and ask for a supply, it would be very unusual for them to give up their supply. They’re in the same situation as we are,” he said.
He encouraged patients to talk to their congressional representatives to bring attention to the issue.
All pharmacists interviewed said taking care of the patient is the main goal.
If a retail drug is unavailable, physicians work with pharmacists to find alternatives.
Patients in the hospital shouldn’t worry, Brock said, “because there’s people behind-the-scenes working to make sure they can get their drugs.”
WHY THE SHORTAGE?
Local pharmacists said fixing the national drug shortage isn’t easy because the causes are varied.
They said reasons include:
Manufacturing problems: Raw material shortages can make it difficult for manufacturers to bring drugs to market, said Don Janczak, director of pharmacy at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center.
Business decisions: Two companies might merge and discontinue a drug both were producing, or manufacturers might make a business decision to discontinue a product. This is happening with many generic drugs that have been on the market for years because it might not be profitable to continue making the generic drug, Janczak said.
Regulatory standards: U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspections might force manufacturers to temporarily shut down production, and other companies can’t keep up.
President Barack Obama stepped in Oct. 31, ordering the FDA to help prevent and reduce drug shortages, protect consumers and prevent price gouging.
Pending legislation would require manufacturers to notify health care providers and wholesalers of impending shortages so people can prepare, said Jeff Elser, pharmacist at Dean Clinic.
A “gray market” for prescription drugs also has developed. Area pharmacists say they don’t buy from such suppliers, who price gouge, because they don’t know where the drugs are from.
Nov 22, 2011 at 1:39 p.m.
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“With savages, the weak in body or mind are soon eliminated; and those that survive commonly exhibit a vigorous state of health. We civilised men, on the other hand, do our utmost to check the process of elimination; we build asylums for the imbecile, the maimed, and the sick; we institute poor-laws; and our medical men exert their utmost skill to save the life of every one to the last moment. There is reason to believe that vaccination has preserved thousands, who from a weak constitution would formerly have succumbed to small-pox. Thus the weak members of civilised societies propagate their kind. No one who has attended to the breeding of domestic animals will doubt that this must be highly injurious to the race of man. It is surprising how soon a want of care, or care wrongly directed, leads to the degeneration of a domestic race; but excepting in the case of man himself, hardly any one is so ignorant as to allow his worst animals to breed.
The aid which we feel impelled to give to the helpless is mainly an incidental result of the instinct of sympathy, which was originally acquired as part of the social instincts, but subsequently rendered, in the manner previously indicated, more tender and more widely diffused. Nor could we check our sympathy, if so urged by hard reason, without deterioration in the noblest part of our nature. The surgeon may harden himself whilst performing an operation, for he knows that he is acting for the good of his patient; but if we were intentionally to neglect the weak and helpless, it could only be for a contingent benefit, with a certain and great present evil. Hence we must bear without complaining the undoubtedly bad effects of the weak surviving and propagating their kind; but there appears to be at least one check in steady action, namely the weaker and inferior members of society not marrying so freely as the sound; and this check might be indefinitely increased, though this is more to be hoped for than expected, by the weak in body or mind refraining from marriage.”
Nov 22, 2011 at 11:40 a.m.
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And a Merry Christmas to you.
Nov 22, 2011 at 11:03 a.m.
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Life=Freedom from losing ones life
Liberty=Right to live, right to property
Pursuit of Happiness= Work to achieve goals=happiness as allowed under the law.
People read into those 5 words way too much. Like hippys trying to argue their potsmoking falls under this.
Health care is not a right, just like driving, owning a house (if you don't pay for one), etc... It's a privlege and an ethical arguement where there is no right answer. You have the right to not lose your life based on someones actions, but not the right to be free from losing your life under someones in-actions(with the exception of a police, fireman, etc... failing to perform there job). This basically means you can't expect someone to do something to prevent you from dying, i.e. the good samaritin.
Under national health care, all individuals are considered equal and will recieve the same treatment under the somewhat failed Hypocratic Code to preserve life. Therefore, a cancer patient that has enphysema who has smoked all of their lifes and wil cost up to $500,000 a year or more in treatment to preserve their life has the same right to live as a child. People that spend years engoring themselves in glutony only to be diagnosed with heart disease, diabetes, etc... has the same right to live as someone that has taken care of themselves.
As for drug companies and shortages and rising costs, the worng question is not being asked. Drug companies are out to make profit. THis is used to fund future research, lobbying to get likeminded politicians in office (to vote on things there way) greasing palms, cutting thru red tape, experimenatal trials, etc... I foresee this as the beginining of shortages based on the increasing popluation of the world. Countries like China are going to be buying up huge amounts of drugs, just like they do with ever other resource. To a drug company, they are the customer. Untill someone steps in and disallows this from happening, we will face shortages, and eventually price gauging.
Nov 22, 2011 at 10:11 a.m.
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"You can't be pro-life and against uniform healthcare without being a hypocrite."
You can't practice tolerance (or tell others to be tolerant) and openly bash Christians.
Nov 21, 2011 at 4:20 p.m.
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@carlitosway: Where do you get this stuff?!? "GOP supporters will not believe this link as they only listen to Fox IMO". Of course, they could accuse you of only listening to MSNBC. Or CNN. Or whatever. This does nothing to advance any dialogue.
I'm not even a Republican, but I continue to be amused by comments like "you only listen to Rush, Fox, blah blah blah". Rather than addressing the issues, some people find it easier to accuse others of myopia - I guess - it seems so pointless and retarded to me. If you disagree with someone, explain your position and your reasoning. Merely characterizing others is a waste of everyone's cyberspace.
Nov 21, 2011 at 3:02 p.m.
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That's a nifty twisting of the declaration of independence. Any way we can get the declaration to say I have the right to free housing, a free car, or maybe under the happiness heading free beer? Oh...I am so excited! If you don't agree to my free beer than you are anti happiness! I like how this works!
Nov 21, 2011 at 10:37 a.m.
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Hmmm... FDA mandate to protect consumers from price gouging... Subsequently, there is a shortage in drugs. Methinks there was some price gouging. Of course, according to the TP, health care is a privilege, not a right... That despite our Declaration of Independence that decries the inalienable right to life. You can't be pro-life and against uniform healthcare without being a hypocrite.
Nov 21, 2011 at 9:53 a.m.
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carlit...that's kind of funny coming from you. The link talks about campaign money freshmen GOP have taken in while Obama has raised more campaign funds in the last six months than all the GOP candidates put together have raised. Of course he's been on the road campaigning most of the last six months.
Nov 21, 2011 at 9:37 a.m.
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lvbald537 Thank you for link But the GOP supporters will not believe this link as they only listen to Fox IMO
Nov 21, 2011 at 9:27 a.m.
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Maybe if supplies are found somewhere Walker can stand with The Companies CEOs and take credit for it.
Nov 21, 2011 at 5:20 a.m.
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I have an idea...let the govt take over the drug companies. We all know they would be run more efficiently and fairly with no problems just like they run the other programs. There would be no porkulus, no scandals. We need more govt workers! More regulations!
Nov 21, 2011 at 2 a.m.
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Check www.opensecrets.org and see how many legislators accept donations from the drug industry and you will see why the companies don't worry about serving the public.
Nov 20, 2011 at 11:08 p.m.
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IMO, just wait a few years. IF socialized healthcare is upheld, there will be more of this problem occuring, which will end with rationing of healthcare to "save" the supplies of medication.
Nov 20, 2011 at 10:23 p.m.
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Hmmmmm. Something interfering with the free market. Could it be.......government????
It doesn't make economic sense that a product that is in demand would stop being produced, or production severely curtailed, creating a "shortage". In a free market, Econ 101, supply and demand, would ensure that a producer would continue to produce, although price may adjust as necessary.
Nov 20, 2011 at 10:02 p.m.
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Need a bigger tax break maybe or are they punishing those who really need it to bilk what little they have left????? Just my thought Who owns the company that manufactures these drugs? Who are the major share holders? Just curious
Nov 20, 2011 at 9:57 p.m.
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Hmmm this is interesting Is there an underlying reason for this IMO there is and I have a hunch as to who is behind it. Enough said *my opinion*
Nov 20, 2011 at 4:34 p.m.
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“These drugs are older than I am,” he said. “Just all of a sudden they have disappeared from the market.” Now why do you think this is? Econ 101 says.........
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