<p>US health authorities said today they will import a drug to treat ovarian, bone marrow and AIDS-related skin cancer from India in order to ward off a worrying shortage.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"Lipodox will be imported as an alternative to Doxil," the US Food and Drug Administration said in a statement, noting that a temporary deal has been made with Sun Pharma Global FZE in India to supply US patients with the drug.<br /><br />"Temporary importation of unapproved foreign drugs is considered in rare cases when there is a shortage of an approved drug that is critical to patients and the shortage cannot be resolved in a timely fashion with FDA-approved drugs."<br /><br />Another drug that has been in short supply, methotrexate, needed for treating a variety of cancers including children with leukemia, was approved in preservative-free generic form for maker APP Pharmaceuticals in Illinois and should be available by March, the FDA said.<br /><br />In the meantime, a shipment of 31,000 vials, or one month's supply, is being sent right away to hundreds of US hospitals and treatment centres by Hospira, the agency added.<br />Prescription drug shortages in the United States nearly tripled from 2005 to 2010, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.<br /><br />Many drugs are falling out of production because drugmakers cannot profit when medications go generic and carry extremely low price tags. Profit-incentive for doctors to prescribe more expensive cancer meds has also contributed to the problem.<br /><br />In October 2011, US President Barack Obama signed an executive order directing action to head off shortages in life-saving prescription drugs.<br /><br />Obama's order strengthened the FDA's power to predict and tackle potential shortages of prescription drugs and to halt illegal price gouging of life-saving medicines during supply shortfalls.<br /><br />Since then, the FDA has been able to ward off 114 drug shortages, compared to a total of 195 drug shortages prevented in 2011, the agency said.<br /><br />The change is mostly due to a six-fold increase in companies complying with a request to give early warning to the FDA if they foresee a shortage, so that health authorities can seek other suppliers.<br /><br />The FDA today also "issued draft guidance to industry on detailed requirements for both mandatory and voluntary notifications to the agency of issues that could result in a drug shortage or supply disruption," it said.</p>
<p>US health authorities said today they will import a drug to treat ovarian, bone marrow and AIDS-related skin cancer from India in order to ward off a worrying shortage.<br /><br /></p>.<p>"Lipodox will be imported as an alternative to Doxil," the US Food and Drug Administration said in a statement, noting that a temporary deal has been made with Sun Pharma Global FZE in India to supply US patients with the drug.<br /><br />"Temporary importation of unapproved foreign drugs is considered in rare cases when there is a shortage of an approved drug that is critical to patients and the shortage cannot be resolved in a timely fashion with FDA-approved drugs."<br /><br />Another drug that has been in short supply, methotrexate, needed for treating a variety of cancers including children with leukemia, was approved in preservative-free generic form for maker APP Pharmaceuticals in Illinois and should be available by March, the FDA said.<br /><br />In the meantime, a shipment of 31,000 vials, or one month's supply, is being sent right away to hundreds of US hospitals and treatment centres by Hospira, the agency added.<br />Prescription drug shortages in the United States nearly tripled from 2005 to 2010, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.<br /><br />Many drugs are falling out of production because drugmakers cannot profit when medications go generic and carry extremely low price tags. Profit-incentive for doctors to prescribe more expensive cancer meds has also contributed to the problem.<br /><br />In October 2011, US President Barack Obama signed an executive order directing action to head off shortages in life-saving prescription drugs.<br /><br />Obama's order strengthened the FDA's power to predict and tackle potential shortages of prescription drugs and to halt illegal price gouging of life-saving medicines during supply shortfalls.<br /><br />Since then, the FDA has been able to ward off 114 drug shortages, compared to a total of 195 drug shortages prevented in 2011, the agency said.<br /><br />The change is mostly due to a six-fold increase in companies complying with a request to give early warning to the FDA if they foresee a shortage, so that health authorities can seek other suppliers.<br /><br />The FDA today also "issued draft guidance to industry on detailed requirements for both mandatory and voluntary notifications to the agency of issues that could result in a drug shortage or supply disruption," it said.</p>
