Regulation, The FDA, And Shortages Of Hospital Drugs

In recent weeks the press has been reporting widespread alarms about shortages of many frequently used hospital drugs [L.A. Times/Chicago Tribune, Scranton Times-Tribune, KMGH (Colorado hospitals swapping drugs in short supply), The Columbian] The drugs running short include various antibiotics, anesthetics, chemotherapy drugs and others, including many generic compounds long since approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA). "The most troubling aspect is that it is critical drugs for which there are limited alternatives. Many are involved in cancer care and surgery," one hospital pharmacist told the Chicago Tribune's reporter.

While a variety of factors have played a role in the shortages, including lawsuits and economic retrenchment by some drugmakers, there seems to be little dispute that one major factor is the federal government's widely publicized crackdown in recent years on pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality-control practices, which has meant that closing down a production line or halting shipments of a drug for a while is often the only way to be sure of staying in compliance with demanding new substantive benchmarks or paperwork requirements.

The lesson? To some Senators, it's that we need to intensify regulation yet further:

The drug shortages have gained the attention of members of Congress. This month, Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced legislation that would require drugmakers to give the FDA an early notification “when a factor arises that may result in a shortage,” according to a joint statement.

Which prompts Overlawyered commenter Greg S. to write:

In other words, when critical shortages of pharmaceuticals arise because of a tough new regulatory environment in Washington, the impulse of those in Congress is to address the problem by adding more regulations – i.e., by adding another bureaucratic compliance requirement. And how, exactly, will notifying the FDA help with the shortage? And what if the “factor” that’s causing the shortage is the FDA’s rules themselves – will the company find itself facing investigation and retaliation if it is perceived as blaming the FDA for the shortage?