Drug Shortage Issues

Improved Essays
There has been drug shortages of chemotherapeutic agents, which is an issue that has been affecting patients with cancer. The article Drug Shortages and the Burden of Access to Care: A Critical Issue Affecting Patients with Cancer, brings awareness about pharmaceutical drug shortages in the United States. Shortages of drugs have affected how health care is delivered, which has caused many problems to arise with patient care. The article brings attention and targets the public about the impact that drug shortages have on patients, ethical and legal issues, and how costs affects these shortages. The issue of drug shortages affects all aspects of healthcare; especially the targeted audience, cancer patients who have to deal with the burden financially …show more content…
According to Drug Shortages and the Burden of Access to Care: A Critical Issue Affecting Patients with Cancer, “pharmaceutical companies have an ethical and legal responsibility to safely manufacture and distribute pharmaceuticals to patients, providers, and healthcare systems (Bloch, J., PhD, McKeever, A., PhD, Bratic, A., PA-C, 2013).” Yet, patients are still not able to get their medications. On the other hand, “healthcare providers contend that delivery of care is influenced by profit margins of those pharmaceutical companies… who decide drug cost and reimbursement (Bloch, J., PhD, McKeever, A., PhD, Bratic, A., PA-C, 2013).” A response was brought up addressing the responsibility of pharmaceutical companies and the argument of the healthcare providers. The response stated, “until healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies agree on systematic process of how to handle a drug shortage…they are left to decide how best too protect their own interest… (Bloch, J., PhD, McKeever, A., PhD, Bratic, A., PA-C, 2013).” In addition, “when healthcare providers are forced to select alternative chemotherapeutic agents because of unforeseen shortages and choose alternative protocols based on availability…patient safety and care are compromised, which creates substantial ethical and legal issues… (Bloch, J., PhD, McKeever, A., PhD, Bratic, A., PA-C,

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