The following is a list of drugs commonly used for patients with cancer that the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) classified as being in short supply in March. For some drugs, only certain doses or preparations are unavailable. Most shortages are attributable to manufacturing delays and/or increased demand. In some cases, the manufacturer discontinued the drug or offered no explanation for the short supply. A couple (ie, capecitabine [Xeloda] tablets and dexamethasone sodium phosphate) have been voluntarily recalled because of contamination concerns. To alleviate the shortage of capecitabine, the US Food and Drug Administration has granted the manufacturer permission to import the drug from the European Union. The ASHP Website provides suggestions for managing care when your facility does not have one of the products listed below.
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