Cancer doctors from across the United States are lending their voices to a new advocacy campaign to end drug shortages. Led by the Association for Clinical Oncology (ASCO), nearly 500 oncology professionals have signed an open letter to Congress and the administration highlighting the severe impact of drug shortages on cancer care and urging swift action from lawmakers.
ASCO members made their case in person on Capitol Hill on April 17, meeting with lawmakers to discuss long-term solutions during the 2024 ASCO Advocacy Summit. ASCO is also launching a new video campaign to share the experiences of several of these oncologists, reminding policymakers about the significant impact of shortages on patient care and the impossible choices facing cancer doctors as a result.
The campaign comes as oncologists mark more than a year since supplies of essential and basic generic chemotherapy drugs—carboplatin and cisplatin—first went into shortage. The limited supply of those two drugs—mainstays of cancer treatment, commonly used to treat breast, lung, ovarian, and many other cancers—has threatened care and outcomes for roughly a half million people with cancer in the United States. Although availability improved through temporary relaxation of importation rules, other shortages have emerged, including those to treat common childhood cancers.
The doctors are asking lawmakers to pass policies that mitigate the economic factors driving generic drug makers out of the market, incentivize U.S. generic drug manufacturing, and give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration greater visibility into the supply chain. They’re also calling on their fellow cancer care providers to join them and sign the open letter to demonstrate the overwhelming concern in the cancer community.
To add your voice to the campaign, visit asco.org/ImpossibleChoices.
© 2024. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.
