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There’s a shortage of a certain albuterol drug — and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Wednesday night it was “working to address it.”
According to the FDA, the shortage only exists in “a very specific dosage form of the drug that is commonly used in hospitals.” On its website, the agency reported the respective dosage of the albuterol sulfate inhalation solution as “unavailable” and stated that the supply issue dates back to October.
According to the Mayo Clinic, medical professionals use albuterol — a drug that comes in several varieties — to treat bronchospasm.
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There are a sufficient number of other “strengths and vial sizes” to “currently meet market demands in hospitals and beyond,” the FDA said. The agency also stressed that albuterol inhalers were not affected by this particular deficiency.
Regarding deficiency-related effects, the FDA has been “working closely with manufacturers and others,” according to the agency’s tweet.
A Food and Drug Administration sign is posted in front of their offices in Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 10, 2020. (AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP Newsroom)
“In order to meet demand, the FDA has reiterated that outsourcing facilities can step up the specific product that is in short supply to increase supply,” the FDA also tweeted. “The FDA continues to investigate all available levels of regulation to ensure supply.”
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One of these so-called levers under investigation is “the exercise of discretionary powers by foreign suppliers on potential temporary imports,” the FDA continued.
A sign is seen in front of the Food and Drug Administration headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, August 29, 2020. (Portal/Andrew Kelly/File/Portal)
Manufacturing of the specific dosage form was halted by Akorn, the drug company that the FDA said was its sole manufacturer. The Wall Street Journal reported on the company’s Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in late February.
FOX Business reached out to Akorn for comment.
The CEO of the maker of the alternate dosage has said that to address the deficiency, Nephron Pharmaceuticals “is currently manufacturing albuterol 0.5 as soon as possible to get to market — and to patients,” according to the Journal.
One condition that healthcare professionals often use albuterol for is asthma.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 25.2 million people in the United States live with asthma. The respiratory illness caused more than 1.8 million emergency department visits in 2019 — including 790,000 with children — she reported.