Tackling medicine shortages

A recent article on MSNBC takes a look at how federal officials, lawmakers, pharmaceutical companies, and doctor groups are looking for remedies to tackle medicine shortages. At least 180 drugs have been declared in short supply.

The government has considered creating a stockpile of crucial cancer medicines in addition to the stockpiles that the CDC has created for antibiotics and antidotes that are held in case of an earthquake or terrorist attack.

According to the FDA, some of the shortages have resulted because inspectors found problems like microbial contamination that can be lethal on injection or because of capacity problems at drug plants or lack of interest because of low profits.

Federal Research Center Will Help Develop Medicines

An article in the New York Times describes plans for a federal drug development research center that will help create medicines.

Brief Intro: "The new effort comes as many large drug makers, unable to find enough new drugs, are paring back research. Promising discoveries in illnesses like depression and Parkinson’s that once would have led to clinical trials are instead going unexplored because companies have neither the will nor the resources to undertake the effort."