Area Cancer Specialist Lauds FDA Approval of New Drug Manufacturers
By Lynne Adkins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The US Food and Drug Administration has approved new suppliers for two crucial cancer drugs that have been nearly impossible to secure for months.
Doctors have been searching frantically for supplies of Doxil, used for ovarian and other cancers, and Methotrexate, a drug of choice to battle leukemia.
Now, the FDA has approved new suppliers for both.
Dr. Shayma Kazmi, a medical oncologist at a Cancer Treatment Centers of America branch in Philadelphia, says it's a good start.
"I think it's going to help immensely," she tells KYW Newsradio. "With a lot of these drugs, there's usually only one manufacturer, and if there's a problem in those plants, the supply can really shut down. To have other drug companies make these drugs will be very, very helpful."
She expects it to take several months for the additional supply to reach the hospitals and pharmacies.
Currently hundreds of drugs are in short supply, and Dr. Kazmi hopes the FDA will continue to find other sources for those medications as well.
