Obama to FDA: Fix drug shortage that hurts bay area patients

TAMPA - On Monday, President Barack Obama issued an executive order, hoping to resolve a nation-wide drug shortage that is threatening the health of patients.

The executive order instructs the Food and Drug Administration to do three things: be quicker and more efficient with reporting of potential drug shortages, speed up the review of applications to produce or alter drugs and provide more information to the Justice Department about collusion or price gouging.

The president issued the executive order as the country deals with a drug-supply crisis. At least 180 drugs have been declared to be in short supply, including drugs designed to treat cancer and leukemia.

According to Dr. Daniel Buffington, a clinical pharmacologist with the University of South Florida, a shortage of raw materials and strict government regulation have led to the drug-supply crisis. Shortages in antibiotics, cancer treatment, emergency care, anesthesia and electrolytes are among the areas affected the most by the issue, Buffington said.

"There is no question this is not a new issue," Buffington said. "Now we have over 180 medications (that are reported as being in short supply) and it's growing each year."

Brian Coleman, who works as a pharmacy buyer for Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division, said it has been a constant and worsening struggle to keep up supply at the hospital. He said doctors have been forced to recommend alternative treatments for patients when preferred treatments are not available. The impact of that is felt most when other alternative treatments are not available or as effective.

"It's well past time (to do something)," Coleman said. "It's almost like scraping the bottom of the barrel. And we need help via the government."