A momentary reprieve for drug shortages
Yesterday, Teva Pharmaceutical said it would resume production of vincristine, a cancer treatment whose U.S. shortage caused alarm among doctors and patients.
As STAT’s Ed Silverman reports, the company said it will reintroduce the drug as early in 2020 as it possibly can. Vincristine is a backbone therapy for a host of childhood cancers, including leukemias, lymphomas, and brain tumors.
Teva’s decision is of course good news for public health, but the company’s claim that it was selling vincristine at a loss before pulling it is notable. Among the reasons for a rise in drug shortages is that, in the case of certain medicines, companies say they simply can’t make a business case for manufacturing them. If that’s true, health officials will need a better system than hoping unfavorable news coverage convinces manufacturers to dip into the red on revenue.
Read more.
As STAT’s Ed Silverman reports, the company said it will reintroduce the drug as early in 2020 as it possibly can. Vincristine is a backbone therapy for a host of childhood cancers, including leukemias, lymphomas, and brain tumors.
Teva’s decision is of course good news for public health, but the company’s claim that it was selling vincristine at a loss before pulling it is notable. Among the reasons for a rise in drug shortages is that, in the case of certain medicines, companies say they simply can’t make a business case for manufacturing them. If that’s true, health officials will need a better system than hoping unfavorable news coverage convinces manufacturers to dip into the red on revenue.
Read more.
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