ASCO chief medical officer appeals to Congress for action on cancer-drug shortages
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ASCO Chief Medical Officer Julie R. Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO, urged members of Congress to take action on cancer drug shortages, which she described as the worst she has witnessed during her 30-year career in oncology.
“Eleven oncology drugs, maybe 14, are currently in shortage. Four of these — cisplatin, carboplatin, methotrexate and fludarabine — are commonly used to treat cancer in adults and children,” Gralow said during a House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing this week. “Beyond drugs, we have experienced essential supply shortages, including glass vials, IV tubing, saline bags and more.”
During the hearing — titled “Legislative solutions to bolster preparedness and response for all hazards and public health security threats” — Gralow described the “moral dilemma” oncology providers face as they are forced to prioritize use of certain treatments based on whether an individual’s cancer is potentially curable.
“Patients worry about whether they’ll receive their next treatment, or if switching to another treatment will shorten their lives,” she said.
Reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act would provide an opportunity for solutions to improve the supply chain, Gralow said.
Gralow said ASCO recommends the act include provisions to improve the Strategic National Stockpile function and composition, enhance multinational collaboration on supply chain resilience, provide manufacturers with incentives to improve quality and transparency, reduce reliance on other nations for critical ingredients, and analyze domestic drug and device manufacturing capability and capacity for critical products to avert national security threats.
“This is a crisis,” she said. “Patients’ lives are on the line.”
Gralow told lawmakers ASCO is asking for “not a lot more regulation, but a little more regulation.”
“We agree that this is a market failure, first and foremost, and we need to work together to get high-quality manufacturers in the United States,” she said. “We need to figure out the incentives. It’s a mix of legislative, regulatory and market issues that are going to solve this problem, not just for cancer but for every disease.”
References:
- ASCO in Action. ASCO chief medical officer testifies to Congress on mitigating and preventing cancer drug shortages. Available at: https://old-prod.asco.org/news-initiatives/policy-news-analysis/asco-chief-medical-officer-testifies-congress-mitigating-and. Published June 13, 2023. Accessed June 14, 2023.
- Health subcommittee legislative hearing: ‘Legislative solutions to bolster preparedness and response for all hazards and public health security threats.’ Available at: https://energycommerce.house.gov/events/health-subcommittee-legislative-hearing-legislative-solutions-to-bolster-preparedness-and-response-for-all-hazards-and-public-health-security-threats. Published June 13, 2023. Accessed June 14, 2023.
- House Energy and Commerce Committee oral testimony of Julie R. Gralow, MD, FACP, FASCO. Available at: https://old-prod.asco.org/sites/new-www.asco.org/files/Oral-Testimony-HouseEandC-PAHPA-Reauth-6.13.23.pdf. Published June 13, 2023. Accessed June 14, 2023.
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ASCO in Action. ASCO chief medical officer testifies to Congress on mitigating and preventing cancer drug shortages. Available at: https://old-prod.asco.org/news-initiatives/policy-news-analysis/asco-chief-medical-officer-testifies-congress-mitigating-and. Published June 13, 2023. Accessed June 14, 2023.
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