Mark Hahn and I dove into a critical issue: the drug shortages caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Helene, in particular, inflicted severe damage on a major North Carolina major IV fluids production plant, leaving hospitals to scramble with orally-administered alternatives like Pedialyte and Gatorade in non-critical cases—a stark reminder of the fragility of our medical supply chains.
Mark shared a story about a pediatrician struggling to find essential medications, illustrating our over-reliance on a few foreign manufacturers. I noted that low-profit drugs often have just one or two domestic producers, making us vulnerable to supply disruptions from contamination, labor actions, fires, or natural disasters.
Our conversation turned to the FDA's approval process, where I shared my frustration over unnecessary delays. Conversely, the COVID-19 vaccines' rapid development was thanks to expert production and testing, federal funding, and regulators' cooperation.
Looking to the future, I shared my excitement about new biotechnology-based developments, such as the Nobel Prize-winning use of AI to create custom proteins—a breakthrough that promises new treatments and other applications in the pharmaceutical sector.
Here is the entire conversation.
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Drug Shortages Plague Doctors and Patients. There's a Solution