Reporting on how drug shortages are impacting paramedics, The Associated Press’ Jonathan Cooper discovered things had deteriorated to the point that, he writes, “Paramedics reported asking some of those facing medical emergencies: ‘Is it OK if we use this expired drug?’”
Based in Oregon, Cooper found that, in fact, paramedics around the northwest have been forced to dig up supplies of expired drugs to meet critical needs. He writes that, while manufacturers don’t seem to be willing to discuss drug effectiveness beyond declared lifespans, “Medications are only guaranteed to work as intended until their expiration date. When stored properly, most expired drugs won’t be harmful to patients but will become less effective with time, according to medical professionals.”
State public health officials, who license ambulances and in some cases dictate the medications they must carry, are loosening their rules to help emergency responders deal with the various shortages. Oregon health officials last week began allowing ambulances to carry expired drugs, and southern Nevada has extended the expiration dates for drugs in short supply. Arizona has stopped penalizing ambulance crews for running out of mandated medications.
Some agencies have reported keeping their drug kits fully stocked by substituting alternative medications, some of which have additional side effects or higher costs, or by diluting higher dosages to get the less-concentrated dose needed.
Past shortages have included key painkillers and sedatives. Current critical needs include epinephrine and morphine – and you don’t have to be a pharmacist to imagine why a shortage of those might be problematic for front-line medics.
Manufacturing quality lapses, production shutdowns for contamination and other serious problems are behind many of the shortages, according to manufacturers and the FDA. Other reasons include increased demand for some drugs, companies ending production of some drugs with small profit margins, consolidation in the generic drug industry and limited supplies of some ingredients.
