WHAT THEY ARE SAYING on the Impacts of the Ongoing Drug Shortage Crisis

Washington, D.C. – Every day there are new gut-wrenching stories about the national drug storage crisis our country is facing and its real-world impacts on Americans. From everyday medication like children's pain relievers to lifesaving chemotherapy treatments, these shortages have become a national crisis.

It's time for the Republican majority to join Energy and Commerce Democrats to pass commonsense legislation that addresses ongoing shortages and strengthens our drug supply chain. Democrats have proposed commonsense solutions to address this emergency and will keep fighting to ensure the reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) meaningfully addresses the drug shortage crisis Americans are facing.

The New York Times: How the Shortage of a $15 Cancer Drug Is Upending Treatment

"We're in a situation where patients are being left behind, and we're really worried survival could be affected by the chemotherapy shortage."

—Dr. Angeles Alvarez Secord, President of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology and professor at Duke University School of Medicine

Ohio Capital Journal: Cancer Drug Shortages Decried in Congressional Hearing

"Today's shortages are the worst I have seen in my 30-year career. In 2022, approximately 100,000 Americans were diagnosed with ovarian, bladder and testicular cancer, cancers which may rely on cisplatin or carboplatin for treatment. These one hundred thousand patients may not have access to lifesaving treatment."

—Julie R. Gralow, Chief Medical Officer & Executive Vice President of the Association for Clinical Oncology, said in written testimony.

The Wall Street Journal: They Got Cancer. Then Their Drugs Were Rationed.

"Doctors will be severely hampered in their ability to improve patients' lives and survival if the drugs aren't readily available, says Dr. Amanda Nickles Fader, president-elect of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology. 'It is devastating and will become untenable soon.'"

The Washington Post: How troubles at a factory in India led to a U.S. cancer-drug shortage

"It is the latest case of a generic drug that is suddenly hard to get in the United States, where consumers have also struggled over the past year to find everything from children's acetaminophen to antibiotics and medicines for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The reasons for the shortages vary, but together they are putting new focus on the dicey business of making generic drugs and the fragile network that delivers critical medications to Americans."

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