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ANESTHESIA ALERT
drugs, but it can ask them if they're
willing. Thanks to the early reporting requirements, as soon as a
manufacturer knows a batch or
batches won't make it to market,
"they're now letting us know," says
Capt. Jensen. "We can let other
companies that make that drug
know, ask them to ramp up their
production and, often, they will."
3. Expedited review. Older drugs
WHERE'D YOU GET THAT? Quality issues
kept propofol shortages high on the list for
anesthesia providers in 2012.
are more given to shortages, particularly if they're not big moneymakers. As a
result, there may be 2 manufacturers for an old standby, when there used to be 4
or 5. It's resulted in a "system where we have products in a constant state of vulnerability," says Capt. Jensen. "To get people interested in making these drugs,
we reach out and look for interested companies, and we'll expedite review for
them. Pfizer is one [drugmaker] that has taken advantage."
These 3 actions have helped the FDA prevent 150 drug shortages in 2012,
according to Capt. Jensen. "We agree these [shortages] are critical situations," she says. Recovery isn't "happening quickly enough, but we're working on it, and we do believe it's helping."
— Stephanie Wasek
J A N U A R Y 2013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
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