Cancer drug shortages widen disparities between big systems and small Angus Chen By Angus Chen

https://www.statnews.com/2023/09/25/cancer-drug-shortages-cisplatin-disparities/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=275436977&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8mqzzDMs7R63MhqwN3DohPVHO-sQzi1dEd7q0gcyV5tJZkB3ApNoXSV-M-DLhLSht2T20IqRCY7yyBLNHLlhEN_f0gXg&utm_content=275436977&utm_source=hs_email While a months-long shortage of key chemotherapies has been a strain on practically all oncology practices, some clinics were able to secure supplies for their patients — while others struggled more. The difference was often in the size of the clinic, STAT’s Angus Chen reports, as larger clinics have key advantages — chief among them pharmacy teams that dedicated time to managing shortages and had access to more distributors. In some cases, smaller community practices that struggled to maintain a chemotherapy supply during the shortage have had to send patients to larger systems for infusions. That translates to lost income for these practices, a problem some oncologists could become more common as drug shortages persist. “Small practices are already struggling. In rural areas where access is a huge problem, the closest center may be hundreds of miles away,” said Kristin Rice, an oncologist at Medical Oncology Associates of San Diego. “We cannot afford to lose those small practices.” Read more.