A national shortage of cancer drugs is forcing some Kansas doctors to ration medication. The Kansas News Service reports that supply chain issues have squeezed supplies of more than a dozen chemotherapy drugs. The shortage is hurting treatment for breast, bladder and gynecological cancers.
Officials at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission Cancer Center, say drug shipments are sporadic, and as late as February of this year, doctors were cutting patients’ chemo doses by up to 10% to stretch supplies. They say doctors could need to delay some treatments if the problem continues.
Officials at AdventHealth Shawnee Mission said recently the shortage is the worst they’ve seen in 20 years and oncology pharmacists didn’t know from day to day when they are going to receive a drug or receive it all. They plan for the worst and hope for the best. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the import of some cancer drugs from China and is opening up the Canadian market also.
