Valley Pharmacies Dealing With Drug Shortage
Pharmacists around the country, including in the Coachella Valley, are facing one of the worst drug shortages in years.
Timothy Tyler is director of pharmacy at Desert Regional Medical Center’s Cancer Center.
He’s unusually busy trying to keep life-saving medicine in stock.
“I’m spending triple to quadruple the amount of time to source medications than I’ve been budgeted for,” said Tyler.
He’s not alone. The drug shortage is affecting pharmacies across the country.
According to Tyler, there are a many different causes.
“It’s regulation with the FDA. It’s the manufacturers. It’s troubled spots around the world where you’re sourcing the raw materials so there’s sourcing issues,” said Tyler.
According to Lyle Matthews, director of pharmacy at Eisenhower Medical Center, many medications have several different manufacturers, so the drug shortage won’t impact most people with common prescriptions.
“The manufactures have done a great job in recovering from some of the shortages and back-orders that they’ve had, and we’re in much better shape now,” said Matthews.
People like Barbara Delaney, who takes thyroid medication, wouldn’t mind switching brands.
“As long as it did whatever it was supposed to do. I don’t care what brand it is. It’s just like taking aspirin, doesn’t matter what brand it is as long as it does what it’s supposed to do,” said Delaney.
While it’s not affecting most people, doctors and pharmacists have major worries.
Anesthetics, some antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs are in short supply.
According to Tyler, local hospitals and medical groups have teamed up to find and share the drugs.
Tyler worries about a couple of cancer treatment drugs, including one drug used to treat leukemia.
The hospital has the drugs, but they have to walk a fine line between helping other hospitals and keeping enough for their patients — a line many will have to walk until help arrives.
