Hospitals hunt substitutes as drug shortages rise

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MED_HEALTHBEAT_DRUG_SHORTAGES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-05-30-07-41-58 ^ | May 30, 2011 | LAURAN NEERGAARD

[thouworm]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A growing shortage of medications for a host of illnesses - from cancer to cystic fibrosis to cardiac arrest - has hospitals scrambling for substitutes to avoid patient harm, and sometimes even delaying treatment.

"It's just a matter of time now before we call for a drug that we need to save a patient's life and we find out there isn't any," says Dr. Eric Lavonas of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

[thouworm]

"No one is tracking patient harm."

[TennesseeGirl]

This was already posted this morning. See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2727154/posts

[thouworm]

thanks for linking; did title search before posting...nothing.

[thouworm]

ah...different title; different source

[Cheapskate]

It's interesting that you can use subsitutes for us sheeple

but that would be proper for killing death row convicts.

[lynn4303]

The government is just getting you ready and use to drug shortages becoming commonplace. Whether the drug is scarce or with held due to cost, the results are the same. Pretty soon it will be commonplace.

“Sorry, we can’t treat your cancer. The government took the profit incentives away and now they have no need to produce your life saving drug. It would have been too expensive anyway”