Although Laura Bray lacks a medical degree, she is often referred to as a healer.

Laura Bray is not a licensed pharmacist, but she assists people in obtaining medications.

In 2018, Bray’s nine-year-old daughter was determined to have cancer. After five months, the medication required for her survival, Erwinaze, was scarce and had a waitlist of 15 months.

Abby, sitting in a hospital room, asked her mother, “Does this mean I will die?”

According to Bray, she and her friends made “countless phone calls” and located the medication within a span of 10 days.

Bray informed VOA that the story did not conclude at that point.

I began to inquire with the following questions: “Why did this unfortunate occurrence happen to us? Why wasn’t there a backup supply? Is there someone who can resolve this issue?”

Angels for Change

She discovered that the solution was within herself. Utilizing her MBA and previous experience as a business professor at a college, Bray established Angels for Change, a nonprofit based in Florida with the goal of eliminating drug shortages through a patient-centered approach. According to Bray, individuals from various countries reach out to the organization, including patients, hospitals, doctors, and pharmacists.

Angels for Change utilizes its network for sharing inventory, which includes hospitals and other components of the supply chain, to locate temporary sources of the drug, beginning with the producer.

“Bray inquires about your supply levels and upcoming release dates,” she states. Occasionally, she reaches out to hospitals that may have excess supplies and inquires if they can assist a critically ill patient. Her organization provides grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to smaller pharmaceutical companies in order to produce reserves of medications that are prone to shortages.

Ongoing shortages

According to Brad Wenstrup, the chairman of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, shortages of drugs have been a long-standing issue.

We are facing a major issue and we have been slow to address it. The supply chain for affordable generic injectable drugs is particularly vulnerable, as they do not generate enough profit for big pharmaceutical companies to keep producing them.

According to Michael Storey, who is responsible for medication strategy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, which serves 1.6 million children every year, the economics are not logical for certain manufacturers.

The COVID-19 crisis worsened the problem of delivery disruptions. However, in the previous year, there was a record high of 309 drugs in short supply.

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Efforts to lower drug prices in the United States

At a recent hearing held by the House Ways and Means Committee to discuss drug shortages in the United States, Allan Coukell, the senior vice president for public policy at Civica Rx, a nonprofit generic drug company, testified about his organization’s efforts to address this issue. He shared that Civica Rx has successfully provided 20 drugs that are currently in short supply to its member hospitals without any disruptions. He also highlighted the fact that Civica Rx maintains a six-month buffer inventory as a precaution to ensure a steady supply of these drugs.

Jeromie Ballreich, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, emphasized the importance of greater transparency in the supply chain. He stated that forecasting changes in demand would enable more parties to consider acquiring extra resources and identifying potential risks.

Due to market forces, the prices of generic injectables have significantly decreased, despite their long-standing efficacy and widespread use among doctors. As a result, the United States has turned to India and China for a large supply of pharmaceuticals, but concerns about quality control have led the Federal Drug Administration to stop importing from certain Indian companies last year, leading to a shortage of these drugs.

Coukell urged lawmakers to provide incentives for domestic manufacturers, stating “We also prioritize sourcing from the United States, with Canada and the European Union as our secondary options.”

The cabinet secretary shares their opinion.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, who is in charge of the Food and Drug Administration, stated in an exclusive interview with VOA that whenever possible, we should produce goods domestically.

Becerra stated that the FDA requires authorization from Congress in order to have improved monitoring at the manufacturing level, allowing for earlier detection of problems and prevention of drug shortages. Currently, the FDA is primarily involved in the sale of medications. Becerra also noted that his agency is exploring all possible solutions, as the market is flawed in regards to these medications.

According to experts, the problem is multifaceted and will need a variety of remedies that may take several years. In the meantime, Laura Bray’s daughter is excelling in her middle school education.

Source: voanews.com