Fox News
Expand
Browse All Video
Watch Live

You're watching...

Study ties drug storage to cancer relapses

Details

  • Description

    Young patients who couldn't get key medicine less likely to stay cancer-free

  • Duration 2:55
  • Date

Clips

Also in this playlist...

America's Newsroom

Auto-advance: ON

Auto-advance
View All

Transcript

This transcript is automatically generated

Disturbing new evidence on the medical dangers stemming from a shortage of some cancer drugs are reported new England journal of medicine finds that children and young adults.

Who -- substitutes of those drugs are more likely to suffer relapses of cancer.

So how bad is this situation joining us now doctor Steven garner of New York Methodist Hospital thank you for being with us.

Which costs 300 different drugs here -- is this.

I think -- pretty good because -- dealing with drugs that are used only sporadically for certain patients.

That is not a lot of mark mock up gives a lot of financial incentive for the companies to make these.

So we're dealing with -- drugs but that that a -- necessary to do with your struggles a bit has lymphoma.

And they say we've got the treatment but we don't have the medication available do you find it hard to believe right in the United States.

Yeah yeah and leukemia as well and this study is the first -- to actually show.

That when people resort to substitutes.

For these drugs that they they can't find.

They are.

Are suffering this case you have a 12% chance of -- relapse if you took the regular medication if you took the substitute 125%.

Chance.

Those nobody died in it but a lot of the kids who were who have do you substitute medication had to undergo except extra medication extra.

Radiation as result may be infertile have other problems there on the road.

So is a very sad story.

It's not really regulated.

That much -- made this a Dutch based company that -- -- branch -- the United States.

That has some problems with the manufacturing plant design manufacture -- one site when you knock out a plan clearly manufacturing or one site.

You have no back up.

So that is the reason for this massive shortage most of these again because the generic so it is not a lot of money involved.

The number two was because they're made only an isolated plans but you can have that also was so -- little problems and inept player with with quality measures that shut them down -- just that we had enough -- Right so is the FDA reacting to the study united taking any action.

Hope President Obama -- -- issued and some kind of -- what he wanted to be -- number one that the companies reported more freely so that we know would have shortages and the number two to expedite the review process to get new drugs and new manufacturing plants on line.

You need -- review process.

This will speed up the FDA process it hasn't really this is from 2010.

We haven't seen that much of -- benefit as -- yet but it's a step in the right direction.

And that's to get new plants on line to make the original drugs but what about also more stricter controls on these substitutes.

You have that's really -- if you use it at a hospital requires going through a -- -- or a review board you can just do -- so you have to give permission to do it but.

It's not that the drugs there with the substance of drugs are not good or not well made -- that they don't do was well in the regiment but -- -- recipe for chocolate cake right you leave out the butter.

We're gonna taste as good yeah -- -- -- margarine and.

Unfortunately the stakes much higher here it's great that doctor Steven garner thank you so much for joining us and we'll hear Methodist Hospital.

Greg.

Load More