While researching more information about the recent drug shortages across health-system agencies across the country, a local Pharma company made the local headlines...
In this case, where do pharmacists stand as far as FDA regulations and what steps can be taken on behalf of pharmaceutical companies and legislators to ensure that errors in manufacturing and quality control don't have a long-term effect in healthcare procedures and the overall quality of life for patients.
According to the L.A. Times,
For example, Teva Pharmaceuticals makes generic forms of certain cancer medications. So when quality issues temporarily closed its plant in Irvine in April, medical professionals were faced with limited supplies of an array of cancer drugs.
In addition, some drug companies have exited the business of making older, generic injectable drugs, which typically aren't as profitable as newer brand-name medicines. That puts additional production pressure on the remaining makers of these generic treatments.
Take propofol, a popular anesthetic for surgeries and other medical procedures. Teva decided to exit the propofol business last year after a quality issue with the drug in 2009. In a statement, the company said it believed its "existing, approved technology is not suitable to ensure that we can consistently produce the product to Teva's high quality standard."
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