Shortage of Cancer Drugs Leaves US Patients in Crisis

Shortages of generic drugs, including 12 cancer drugs, are causing rationing and delays in cancer treatment for patients in the US. The underlying weakness of the generic drug industry, which is made mostly overseas and often sold at a loss or for little profit, is the main cause. Domestic manufacturers have little interest in making them, setting their sights instead on high-priced drugs with plump profit margins. The FDA has given emergency authorization for Chinese-made cisplatin to enter the US market, but the impact of the move wasn’t immediately clear.