Current shortages

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), May 26, 2001

Answers

Interesting list. Thank you, Martin.

-- Swissrose (cellier3@mindspring.com), May 26, 2001.

This list apparently does not include vaccine products, as I know that tetanus toxoid remains in short supply.

-- Andre Weltman, M.D. (aweltman@state.pa.us), May 29, 2001.

Interesting to see that the cause that has been noted in so many instances is "manufacturing difficulties". Also see previous thread on GICC on drug shortages at http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a- fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0050yE

-- Paula Gordon (pgordon@erols.com), May 29, 2001.

<< "manufacturing difficulties" >>

Agreed it is an interesting term, but hard to interpret--as was noted in previous threads, this is a particularly opaque industry and FDA contributes to the mystery. I think just about *anything* from problems with high-tech embedded-chip-containing manufacturing equipment to a simple lack of adequate cleanliness (to the satisfaction of FDA inspectors) could be listed as "manufacturing difficulties."

What does that dude on Fox TV say? "The truth is out there." Yeah, but as with so much else, we'll never know...

-- Andre Weltman, M.D. (aweltman@state.pa.us), May 30, 2001.