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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 18 July 2023

S. Dakota governor prods Washington to address national drug shortages

By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press
As the U.S. struggles with
prescription drug short-
ages, South Dakota Gov.
Kristi Noem has advanced
a modest plan that she
hopes will prod Washington
to take decisive action to
address weaknesses in the
international pharmaceuti-
cal supply chain.
Noem told reporters at a
pharmacy in Sioux Falls last
week that her state will ex-
pand its stockpiles of cer-
tain medications that have
been in short supply. The
Republican former con-
gresswoman also used the
occasion to turn up the
heat on the federal Food
and Drug Administration,
urging the agency to make
the U.S. less dependent on
foreign suppliers like China
and India.
Noem said she hopes other
governors — and members
of Congress — take notice
of what South Dakota is do-
ing and lend their voices to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference, Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at a Lewis Drug store in Sioux Falls, S.D.,
push for long-term change about efforts her state is taking to alleviate shortages of prescription drugs. Associated Press
in Washington to fix what
she called a real risk to na- tors to switch medications now add sites at partner drugs in the stockpile will long as it's done carefully
tional security. and delay some care. Sev- pharmacies in five addi- be rotated and released to avoid aggravating short-
"My hope is that those eral Democratic-led states tional cities statewide. In to pharmacies before they ages.
leaders in D.C. that have plan to stockpile abortion- addition to current antibi- expire so they won't be The federal government
the ability to weigh in on inducing drugs in response otic stockpiles, the depart- wasted. also has its own drug and
this issue will," Noem said. to a court ruling that could ment is adding albuterol, The Department of Health medical equipment stock-
"We'll continue to educate limit access. epinephrine, insulin, predni- is still negotiating contracts pile, but its focus is differ-
them on why it's such a criti- There were 309 active drug sone and pediatric amoxi- with the five additional sites ent. The Strategic National
cal need for us to address it shortages in the U.S. at the cillin to the list, which was and the costs associated Stockpile, run by the De-
today." end of June, according to developed by the state with the additional medi- partment of Health and
Shifting shortages of a vari- the University of Utah Drug Department of Health as cation stockpile, spokes- Human Services, assumes
ety of drugs predated the Information Service. That's part of a study that Noem person Tia Kafka said. The states will also have stock-
COVID-19 pandemic by up from 295 at the end of ordered in May. quantities will be based on piles and it's meant only to
decades and continue to last year and the highest "This effort is helpful, but not epidemiological data and supplement their efforts.
complicate treatment of total recorded since 2014. the whole picture," Schon- community size, she said, Fox said the country needs
patients across the country. Noem wrote to FDA Com- delmeyer said. and the contracts will be- to fix some of the underlying
Major contributors include missioner Robert Califf last He noted that South Da- come public record once issues that cause shortages
manufacturing problems, week, imploring him to work kota' plan focuses on out- they're finalized later this in the first place, such as
demand spikes, tight ingre- with Congress on long-term patient medications. Serile month. intense price competition
dient supplies and overreli- solutions to fix the supply injectables used in hospi- "This is an interesting solu- in the generic drug market
ance on foreign sources. A chain and reduce Ameri- tals — ranging from drugs tion," said Erin Fox, associ- that causes quality to suffer
U.S. Senate report in March ca's reliance on China and on crash carts to chemo- ate chief pharmacy officer and forces suppliers out of
said the shortages have India. therapy medications — at University of Utah Health. the market. And she said
"cascading effects on pa- "This is one of the issues have accounted for about "Stockpiling can help buf- the federal government
tient care." that's still getting traction in 70% of the shortages over fer shortage situations and could fund extra supplies of
Last fall, the FDA an- Washington on both sides the past decade and may are an appropriate step to drugs for "inventory buffer-
nounced a shortage of of the aisle, which is rare warrant stockpiling as well, take, but they can't com- ing" to provide a margin of
the attention-deficit/hy- these days," said Stephen he said. pletely solve the shortage safety when problems de-
peractivity disorder drug Schondelmeyer, a leader Schondelmeyer estimated issue." velop, similar to what South
Adderall. Stores ran out of of the Resilient Drug Supply that around 15 to 20 other Tom Kraus, vice president Dakota is doing on its own.
children's medicines due to Project at the University of states, including California, for government relations "When you need a drug,
demand during last winter's Minnesota. also maintain some kind of at the American Society of it should be at the corner
particularly intense cold South Dakota already drug stockpiles. Health-System Pharmacists, drug store or the hospital
and flu season. Prominent maintains drug caches at Noem said building up said his group supports the when you need it, and it
cancer centers warned last each end of the state, at South Dakota's stockpiles concept of stockpiling as isn't," Schondelmeyer said.
month that a growing short- a pharmaceutical ware- shouldn't cause shortages South Dakota is planning "There are real market fail-
age of common cancer house in Sioux Falls and at or price spikes elsewhere — including by states and ures in the drug supply that
treatments is forcing doc- a Rapid City hospital. It will across the country. The individual hospitals — as need solutions."q