Drug Shortages Summit Summary Released

The November 5, 2010 Drug Shortages Summit, co-hosted by the American Society of Anesthesiologists, has released its official summary. Mark A. Warner, president of the ASA and Arnold Berry, M.D., M.P.H., vice president of scientific affairs for ASA participated in the meeting on behalf of all anesthesiologists. This summit is a continuation of the leadership role ASA has taken during recent drug shortages such as Propofol and Succinylcoline.  

The summary document includes a seven-page summary of the conclusions reached at the Summit, as well as 45 pages of supporting information that was presented at the Summit.  Click here to read the report.

From the report:
“The Drug Shortages Summit was co-convened by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) on November 5, 2010 in Bethesda, Maryland. The goals of the summit were to:

     • Discuss the scope and causes of drug shortages;
     • Shed light on the harm to patients that is occurring due to drug shortages;
     • Discuss the potential need for changes in public policy and stakeholder practices to prevent patient harm from shortages;
     • Develop an assertive action plan that reflects the recommendations and intent of stakeholders to work together to stop patient harm and disruptions in patient care caused by drug shortages.

Summit participants included representatives from health professional organizations, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and supply chain entities. Representatives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also attended portions of the meeting as observers.

This summary report reflects discussion at the Drug Shortages Summit, including recommended actions that will be further evaluated and implemented, if appropriate, based on an assessment of feasibility, impact, and resources required for implementation. Next steps will focus on establishing workgroups to explore, prioritize, and develop detailed action plans to achieve summit recommendations that are selected for implementation based on these criteria”

ASA’s website has a specific page dedicated to drug shortages which can be viewed here.