Supply Chain Archives - Page 5 of 6 - Health Care Chief

The misery of this year's intense respiratory virus season is being compounded by shortages of essential medications used to treat common pediatric illnesses like the flu, ear infections, and sore throats. Ranae Kraft, a relief pharmacist working in rural states of Oklahoma City, said that the situation is quite bleak - there’s hardly any Tamiflu for adults and none at all for children. Antiobiotics are also running out fast. Families have taken to social media to express their frustration at being unable to obtain first-line antibiotics like amoxicillin and Augmentin. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists reports that there are also not enough albuterol inhalers, which are used to open up the airways in the lungs. “In my 25 years of being a pediatrician, I’ve never seen anything like this,” said pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Stacene Maroushek of Hennepin Healthcare in Minnesota. “I have seen families who just aren’t getting a break. They have one viral illness after another. And now there’s the secondary effect of ear infections and pneumonia that are prompting amoxicillin shortages.” According to experts, it's not manufacturing issues causing these shortages, but a supply-demand mismatch; the demand is higher than expected. More than half of the states in the U.S. are considered to have "high" or "very high" levels of respiratory virus activity, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States. The majority of this can be attributed to the influenza epidemic, which began early and quickly spread throughout the country this year. Other factors include the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Approximately 20% of RSV tests were positive across the country just last week, the highest percentage in over two years. Compared to 2019-20, there has been a sixfold increase in the likelihood of people in the U.S. using Tamiflu during this flu season. Pharma firms making generic drugs don’t typically keep their products on shelves. Medicines are instead produced in response to pre-orders placed at the beginning of the year. Some manufacturers claimed that this year's orders failed to account for the peak season for respiratory illnesses. Currently, production is being increased, but it will be some time before more inventory is available. As a company that produces generic amoxicillin, Sandoz acknowledged that there were multiple causes for the shortage. The company released a statement saying that things are particularly challenging right now due to the rapid onset of multiple adverse conditions, including the pandemic's effect on demand and subsequent demand swings and the shortage of raw materials. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taken action to assist during the shortage, providing pharmacists with instructions on how to convert pill forms of amoxicillin into liquid amoxicillin for children. Industry experts stated that parents should try not to be too anxious about this shortage and stressed the importance of testing as the first step in caring for a sick family member. The vast majority of doctor's offices and some pharmacy clinics offer rapid tests that can assist in determining whether your symptoms are the result of a viral illness or a bacterial illness.

Antivirals and Antiobics Shortage Makes Respiratory Virus Season Worse

Editorial Team

November 28, 2022
3 min read

shortage of Amoxicillin

Alternatives are available as the shortage of Amoxicillin stretches

Editorial Team

November 27, 2022
3 min read

Merck

Pharma Supply Chain

Frozen lot of Ebola vaccine by Merck will be donated to Uganda for testing

Editorial Team

November 2, 2022
3 min read

Merck

Frozen lot of unrevealed Ebola vaccine traced by Merck will be donated to Uganda for testing

Editorial Team

October 31, 2022
3 min read

Philips

Medical Devices Supply Chain

Philips under fire for sleep apnea machine failure

Editorial Team

October 20, 2022
3 min read