Turn Sad to Glad
Healthcare News and Actions June ,8 2023
Happy Thursday Healthcare Advocates
Please enter requests for research using the comment button at the bottom. Remember our advocacy educates our representatives and lets them know what we want them to do for us.
Supply Chain Woes
I’m sure many of you remember the infant formula shortages in 2021 and 2022. Hard to track down bacteria, hard to clean facility, small number of manufacturers.
We have another shortage under way, also related to quality issues. Here is a link to that story from the BBC.
It seems that there are some common cancer treatment drugs, like carboplatin and cisplatin that are in short supply. These are used to treat a host of cancers, including head and neck, gynaecologic and gastrointestinal cancers.
All US manufacturers used one factory in India for cisplatin and that Indian factory is now off line due to quality issues. Did you get that? - single source of failure in the supply chain. The drug carboplatin is being offered to patients as a replacement for the missing cisplatin and that has now created a shortage of carboplatin.
This is affecting about 100,000 patients in the US. There is rationing of the drugs and triage has started. Triage is the term for applying resources where they have the best chance of success. That means that patients who may not have the best chance at survival are passed over for patients whose outcomes are likely more positive. Doesn’t sound good, does it?
Part of the problem is that there isn’t always a lot of incentive for manufacturers to make some generics as the market may be small and the prices low.
The FDA is in the process of locating other sources of cisplatin and seems to have found one in China. That’s good news and will help with this particular critical shortage but protected supplies may be a better alternative in the future.
The FDA has identified shortages of about 130 drugs in the US, 14 of which are for cancer treatment.
I know the FDA is in the news a lot lately and their authority is being questioned by those who distrust experts and are opposed to abortion. But this is a good time to ask the experts how to protect the supply chain and give them the authority and resources to do it.
We did that with strategic oil reserves, remember?
We can ask our representatives in Congress to contact the FDA and thank them for finding shortages in 130 drugs and helping to find a backstop for cisplatin. They can also ask that the FDA chair, Robert M. Califf, M.D., design a process to identify which drugs should be stockpiled by the US and to develop processes and procedures to obtain them and then make them available as needed to protect the supply chains and the health of Americans.
ACTION
Use RESISTBOT (text SIGN PGYMQA to 50409) or call or email your congressional representative and senators (their contact info is in the References Section) and tell them something like:
“My name is [name] and I live in [zipcode] and I am your constituent. The FDA has identified 130 drugs in very short supply in the US, 14 of which treat cancer. They have found a replacement factory in China for the cancer drug cisplatin which is in very short supply due one factory off line in India.
Americans lives and health are at risk when they don’t have access to the medications they need.
Please write a letter to the FDA Chair, Richard M, Califf, M.D. and thank his organization for identifying critically short drugs and finding a new source for cisplatin for the US.
Please ask him to develop processes and procedures to identify which drugs need to be stockpiled by the US and how to make them available as needed to protect Americans health and their access to critical medications. Thank you.
References
Find My Elected Officials
Contact the White House https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Contact State and Federal Representatives
https://www.commoncause.org/find-your-representative/addr/
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare
Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Organizations to Contact
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Planned Parenthood
Physicians for a National Health Plan
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water Resistbot write up