U.S. doctors face critical shortages of essential chemotherapy drugs like ifosfamide, cisplatin, and carboplatin due to manufacturing issues and shipping delays, leading to fears of rationing and difficult treatment decisions for cancer patients, with global impacts also noted.
The European Parliament voted to pause parts of the EU's wastewater cleanup law, fearing that making drugmakers pay for micropollutant removal could lead to medicine shortages. Lawmakers approved suspending industry's obligation to pay for removing pollutants like antibiotics and microplastics, pending a new study on costs and sector blame.
England is experiencing its most severe medicine shortage in years, with hundreds of essential drugs including epilepsy medication Lamotrigine and Parkinson's treatment Co Careldopa becoming extremely difficult to obtain. Patients report life-threatening seizures and injuries due to medication gaps, while pharmacies are dispensing at a loss as NHS reimbursement rates fail to keep pace with soaring global prices. The number of pharmacies has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years, with 1,500 closures since 2017.
England is experiencing its most severe medicine shortage in years, with hundreds of essential drugs including epilepsy medication Lamotrigine and Parkinson's treatment Co Careldopa extremely difficult to obtain. Patients report life-threatening seizures, falls and anxiety while pharmacists dispense at significant losses. The price concessions list hit a record 210 medications in April, and 1,500 High Street pharmacies have closed since 2017.
The FDA proposed excluding active ingredients in Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, Ozempic and Eli Lilly's Zepbound, Mounjaro from the list of drugs outsourcing facilities can compound in bulk. The proposal targets 503B facilities and would limit mass compounding unless the drugs appear on the FDA's shortage list. Public comments will be accepted until late June.
