It is unacceptable that some cancer patients can’t readily get the drugs they need because of supply problems, the Canadian Cancer Society says.

1. Cancer society decries drug shortage
- Gerald Youngster

2. It is unacceptable that some cancer patients can’t
readily get the drugs they need because of supply
problems, the Canadian Cancer Society says.
The society is hearing from worried patients and
doctors across the country, said Dan Demers, the
group's director of public issues.
"We shouldn't have to wait for a crisis to respond," said
Demers.

3. The cancer society urged the federal government to:
Ensure there is mandatory listing of unavailable drugs by drug manufacturer.
Develop early warning systems to identify potential drug shortages.
Put systems in place to prevent shortages from escalating.
Work with other jurisdictions to investigate the root causes of the shortages and act to prevent
them where possible.
Canada's supply of injectable drugs such as painkillers, antibiotics and anesthetics became more
precarious following a fire in the boiler room at Sandoz Canada's plant in Boucherville, Que.
"Production has resumed in the portion of the plant that was not directly affected by the
incident, which took place on March 4," the company said in a email to CBC News on Monday.
"Our objective is to restore previous levels of supply as soon as possible, and we will make every
effort to meet medical needs, while ensuring consistent high quality standards."

4. Rationing supplies
The company was unable to quantify how much more capacity it now
has.
Anthony Dale, vice-president of policy and public affairs at the
Ontario Hospital Association in Toronto, called it "outrageous" that
one company could have this kind of effect on drug supplies.
Dale also called for a national strategy, noting hospitals are taking
inventory of their supplies and trying to share and to compound or
carefully mix drugs from raw ingredients under sterile conditions.

5. Hospitals and drug purchasers have been holding daily conference calls to
mitigate shortages. Doctors are carefully selecting patients who can swallow to
give them oral forms of the medications, said Myrella Roy, executive director
of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists in Ottawa.
Last week, officials with Alberta Health Services asked doctors to conserve
injectable medications. Cancer patients were asked to get oral anti-nausea
medications instead of injections before chemotherapy treatment.
In mid-February, Sandoz informed hospitals and other health-care clients that
it was partially closing its plant in Boucherville while it improved its process to
meet U.S. safety standards, the Canadian Anesthesiologists' Society said in a
news release.

6. The company told the anesthesiologists group that
dozens of critical medications will no longer be
manufactured while others will be available on
"allocation" based upon previous usage, a
manufacturing and delivery situation that could last
12 to 18 months, the group said in their release.
Health Canada said last week it is working to identify
alternate sources of supply and expedite approvals for
any drug companies that meet Canadian standards for
safety and effectiveness.
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