B*sh is MURDERING children - er - wait...Big Pharma is evil...yeah, that's it

[BannedFromDU]

IDemo


Supply of a Cancer Drug May Run Out Within Weeks
By GARDINER HARRIS
Published: February 10, 2012

A crucial medicine to treat childhood leukemia is in such short supply that hospitals across the country may exhaust their stores within the next two weeks, leaving hundreds and perhaps thousands of children at risk of dying from a largely curable disease, federal officials and cancer doctors say.

“This is dire,” said Valerie Jensen, associate director of the Food and Drug Administration’s drug shortages program. “Supplies are just not meeting demand.”

The drug is methotrexate, and the cancer it treats is known as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or A.L.L., which most often strikes children ages 2 to 5. It is an unusually virulent cancer of white blood cells that are overproduced in bone marrow and invade other parts of the body.

The cancer commonly spreads to the lining of the spine and brain, and oncologists prevent this by injecting large quantities of preservative-free methotrexate directly into the spinal fluid. The preservative can cause paralysis when injected into the spinal column, so cannot be used for this disease. Methotrexate is also used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

I wonder whose fault this would have been in 2007...


Gee, who's been "president" since 2009, and who has had secret parties at the White House, five-figure fundraisers, and the MSM ready and willing to lick semen off his bedclothes?

In 2007, DU would have pinned Bushitler McCokespoon-Chucklenuts to the wall for this. NOW who's to blame?

OVERPAID01
12. Drug shortages

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The way this works is:

1. Politicians say expensive drugs are necessary because pharmacies spend a lot of money on research and need to make their money back and be profitable.

2. Republicans and unfortunately most Democrats say generic drugs should not be allowed "you just don't know what is in a generic drug".

3. This is a green light for the pharmacies to buy out the manufactures or collude with them in exchange for a share of the profits of the pricey designer label drugs to stop making generis drugs.

4. Result is flu shots are in short supply, specific designer drugs are in short supply, and the big pharmas continue their monopoly by charging what ever they want in an unregulated market.

     Pretzel logic to avoid pinning any responsibility on the idiotic ****stick in the White House who CONTROLS THE FDA.

[movie buff]

Overpaid conveniently fails to realize that the issue here doesn't seem to be that the drug is too expensive for patients to afford it (At least based on the source article), it's that there's such a high demand for it that hospitals are running low, partly because the main laboratory that produced it voluntarily suspended operations due to “significant manufacturing and quality concerns,” though there are a few other manufacturers of the drug that are trying to increase production. The whole thing's just a simple case of demand exceeding supply, but of course, being a DUmmy, Overpaid politicizes it into a rant against "Big Pharma."

[Rebel]

2. Republicans and unfortunately most Democrats say generic drugs should not be allowed "you just don't know what is in a generic drug".

Wait, what? When did conservatives or Republicans say they don't think generics should be allowed, dipshit?

[BEG]

Overpaid conveniently forgets to realize that the issue here doesn't seem to be that the drug is too expensive for patients to afford it, it's that there's such a high demand for it that hospitals are running low. Simple case of demand exceeding supply.

It's cheaper than dirt. I know, I'm taking it.  Back when I was getting IVIG (intravenous immunoglobulin) in the glorious '90's there was a huge shortage.  It is extremely expensive, well over $10k a month back when I was taking it.

[BEG]

The cancer commonly spreads to the lining of the spine and brain, and oncologists prevent this by injecting large quantities of preservative-free methotrexate directly into the spinal fluid. The preservative can cause paralysis when injected into the spinal column, so cannot be used for this disease.

Wait, what?

[67 Rover]

Wait, what? When did conservatives or Republicans say they don't think generics should be allowed, dipshit?

It was right after those evil Rethuglicans voted to continue supplying Viagra and condoms to convicted Pedophiles and --er -- Ooops sorry that was the Liberals/Progressives/Socialists/Democrat party pushing Obama care.  Never mind.


 

[Carl]

Dreamer Tatum (6,244 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore
19. This used to be so simple - just blame Bush.

Oh well.

Ben Venue Laboratories was one of the nation’s largest suppliers of injectable preservative-free methotrexate, but the company voluntarily suspended operations at its plant in Bedford, Ohio, in November because of “significant manufacturing and quality concerns,” the company announced.

Why does this sound like they were in the crosshairs of either government bureaucrats or ambulance chasing lawyers?

[BEG]

Wait, what?

Never mind, I reread it.  

[commonguymd]

Dreamer Tatum (6,244 posts) Profile Journal Send DU Mail Ignore
19. This used to be so simple - just blame Bush.

Oh well.



Starting to think this one works out here.   

[Doc Savage]

I do the buying for a pharmacy.  We have been dealing with serious drug shortages for over 16 months now.  We have had problems getting electrolytes for TPN,s H2 blockers, anti-emetics, chemo drugs (lots more than just methotrexate).  Now we are trying to find Lidocaine and Marcaine.  Better not need any local antistetic.  The one thing that we have noticed, is that when the product does show up back on the market, the price (cost to us, which we are going to pass on) is about 30% higher or more. 

The FDA can't do crap about it.  Where there use to be 3-4 manufactures of a certain product, it is down to 1.  If there is ANY issue in the plant, from a bad batch of glass vials or stoppers, or a bad lot, it affects the entire supply chain.  A spot shortage expands to a nationwide shortage.  Causes facilities to hoard. Then patients can't get the meds that they need.  You scramble to borrow, or beg.   

[jukin]

The answer is obvious. Increase regulations, increase costs, and generally demonize pharmaceutical companies. Oh and add on special 0bama HellCare medical taxes to make drugs cheaper. That should fix all shortages and if not maybe the magicalness of Unicorns will cure the sick.