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(CNN)   We are running out of antibiotics and other life saving medications and "there is neither a stated reason for, nor an anticipated resolution." Stay healthy my friends   (cnn.com) divider line
98
    More: Scary, Medicine, Bacteria, Pharmacy, Food and Drug Administration, Health care, Antibiotic resistance, Drug, Physician  
•       •       •

3677 clicks; posted to Main » and STEM » on 30 Nov 2022 at 2:23 PM (16 weeks ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook



98 Comments     (+0 »)
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Tr0mBoNe [TotalFark]
2022-11-30 1:50:09 PM  
Shhhh the quarterly gains will hear you.
 
oa330_man [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-11-30 2:06:40 PM  
Profit is  a reason.  It's just not the one that they want being synonymous with the companies names.
 
born_yesterday [TotalFark]
2022-11-30 2:24:40 PM  
I've seen this movie.
 
steklo [TotalFark]
2022-11-30 2:34:43 PM  
But there's still weed right?

and coffee?
 
webron
2022-11-30 2:35:48 PM  
Don't worry about healthcare, the USA has the most profitable health insurance industry in the world!!!
 
abhorrent1
2022-11-30 2:36:53 PM  
I'm taking antibiotics right now so I got mine. Suck it, losers!
 
GreenSun
2022-11-30 2:42:58 PM  
We worry too much about dying that we forget about living.

What will be, will be!
 
Fark_Guy_Rob
2022-11-30 2:44:02 PM  
1 in 3 antibiotic prescriptions in the US are not medically justified. And this is after years of training for doctors to stop doing it  The number one reasons doctors give for handing out these drugs like candy is that the patients expect something and will be unhappy if they don't.

The entire foundation of our medical system is based on the idea that doctors are better than regular folk. This and the opioid epidemic prove they aren't. Smarter? Yes. Better educated? Yes.

More moral? Nope. Just as greedy as the rest of us, moreso actually.

And that's the US where doctors make obscene amounts of money.

Nonetheless, 1-in-3 antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. are given to treat those infections, making the doses unnecessary and a potential health threat, according to new data published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
 
cleek
2022-11-30 2:45:21 PM  
"According to the FDA webpage, there are currently more than 120 medications - ranging from amoxicillin and albuterol to a non-insulin diabetes medication known as semaglutide to basic intravenous fluids such as sodium chloride - that are unavailable or in short supply in the United States. "

so we've run out of salt water?
 
eyeq360 [TotalFark]
2022-11-30 2:45:38 PM  
I'm guessing a lot more people are getting sick, a spike in RSV and the flu, antibiotics getting prescribed for viral infections, and for diabetes medications, assholes on TikTok and social media using them as a weight loss hack.
 
dbrunker
2022-11-30 2:47:03 PM  
Stating the non-"stated reason":

Fark user imageView Full Size
 
Hinged
2022-11-30 2:47:53 PM  

dbrunker: Stating the non-"stated reason":



Beat me to it.
 
RobotSpider
2022-11-30 2:49:12 PM  
Of course there's a reason, and of course it's profits. There's no money to be made by producing antibiotics that we've been making for 40 years--well, there IS money to be made, but not "specialty cancer drug" money. So all the lines are being refitted to produce that $10,000/dose medicine rather than the $300/dose medicine.
 
WastrelWay
2022-11-30 2:49:31 PM  
FTFA: "We also know that health care providers have a bad habit of prescribing antibiotics when they're not indicated..."

The reason they do that is that viral infections, such as RSV, may lead to secondary bacterial infections. It's a precaution, and it might be a good idea in some cases (yeah, especially if the people or their health insurance will pay for it). You'll get allergic to amoxicillin if you have to take it too long. I know, because it's happened to me.
 
Icarus_Rising
2022-11-30 2:49:43 PM  

cleek: "According to the FDA webpage, there are currently more than 120 medications - ranging from amoxicillin and albuterol to a non-insulin diabetes medication known as semaglutide to basic intravenous fluids such as sodium chloride - that are unavailable or in short supply in the United States. "

so we've run out of salt water?


Sterile saline is pretty damn important.  You know those IV bags you see in every movie and TV show that has a scene in a hospital? Those aren't just for show. The saline is a delivery (and dilution) vehicle for the medicines that keep people alive, and a stable supply of SAFE saline solution is critical.
 
Icarus_Rising
2022-11-30 2:50:35 PM  

eyeq360: I'm guessing a lot more people are getting sick, a spike in RSV and the flu, antibiotics getting prescribed for viral infections, and for diabetes medications, assholes on TikTok and social media using them as a weight loss hack.


Is that thing?


Does it work?


/asking for a friend.
 
cleek
2022-11-30 2:53:45 PM  

Icarus_Rising: cleek: "According to the FDA webpage, there are currently more than 120 medications - ranging from amoxicillin and albuterol to a non-insulin diabetes medication known as semaglutide to basic intravenous fluids such as sodium chloride - that are unavailable or in short supply in the United States. "

so we've run out of salt water?

Sterile saline is pretty damn important.  You know those IV bags you see in every movie and TV show that has a scene in a hospital? Those aren't just for show. The saline is a delivery (and dilution) vehicle for the medicines that keep people alive, and a stable supply of SAFE saline solution is critical.


yes, i realize it has to be sterile. but this has to be the most basic and easiest medical supply to make. the only thing easier would be sterile water.
 
functionisalwaystaken
2022-11-30 2:56:25 PM  

cleek: Icarus_Rising: cleek: "According to the FDA webpage, there are currently more than 120 medications - ranging from amoxicillin and albuterol to a non-insulin diabetes medication known as semaglutide to basic intravenous fluids such as sodium chloride - that are unavailable or in short supply in the United States. "

so we've run out of salt water?

Sterile saline is pretty damn important.  You know those IV bags you see in every movie and TV show that has a scene in a hospital? Those aren't just for show. The saline is a delivery (and dilution) vehicle for the medicines that keep people alive, and a stable supply of SAFE saline solution is critical.

yes, i realize it has to be sterile. but this has to be the most basic and easiest medical supply to make. the only thing easier would be sterile water.


Well it's all made in Puerto Rico and things havent exactly been perfect there the last few years.
 
bsmz
2022-11-30 2:57:08 PM  
The cause is that the FDA imposes a high cost per production line to keep it ready to produce drugs, even if the production line is idle. So we can't have production capacity ready to go on short notice if need arises. At least that was the story last time I looked up why no tetracycline was available in the US.

Wasteful drug use isn't the cause of the production problem. We waste much of the food we produce and that doesn't cause food shortages. Supply can meet demand so long as you don't have regulations blocking it.
 
Michael J Faux
2022-11-30 2:58:10 PM  
Doesn't take a scholar of supply-and-demand to see that the solution is mass-infanticide.
 
Somacandra [TotalFark] [OhFark]
2022-11-30 2:58:11 PM  
Test results  + for RSV just came in. With my existing Asthma and COPD scarring, this sux.
 
Dafatone
2022-11-30 2:59:37 PM  

WastrelWay: FTFA: "We also know that health care providers have a bad habit of prescribing antibiotics when they're not indicated..."

The reason they do that is that viral infections, such as RSV, may lead to secondary bacterial infections. It's a precaution, and it might be a good idea in some cases (yeah, especially if the people or their health insurance will pay for it). You'll get allergic to amoxicillin if you have to take it too long. I know, because it's happened to me.


CSB: I had a reaction to liquid amoxicillin when I was very little. I didn't get fully tested for an allergy for it, but it's on my chart. Now all my doctor interactions begin with "you're allergic to amoxicillin? "Maybe!"
 
Claude Ballse
2022-11-30 2:59:59 PM  

steklo: But there's still weed right?

and coffee?


Other than sex, what else is there in life?
 
chitownmike
2022-11-30 3:00:44 PM  

cleek: "According to the FDA webpage, there are currently more than 120 medications - ranging from amoxicillin and albuterol to a non-insulin diabetes medication known as semaglutide to basic intravenous fluids such as sodium chloride - that are unavailable or in short supply in the United States. "

so we've run out of salt water?


No, just salt. We can get salt water from the ocean
 
misanthropicsob [OhFark]
2022-11-30 3:00:55 PM  
There's a medication shortage? Why are people getting sick more frequently than they did before. Can't be COVID; Joe told me the pandemic was over!
 
phedex
2022-11-30 3:01:29 PM  
I spend the majority of my day it seems implementing various alternatives to medications in shortages for the hospital. doc orders, gets prompted with either a hard or a soft block begging to consider a suitable alternative..  it's a huge problem, but seems exacerbated the last 6 months.
 
Hinged
2022-11-30 3:05:44 PM  

Claude Ballse: steklo: But there's still weed right?

and coffee?

Other than sex, what else is there in life?



Beer.
 
majestic
2022-11-30 3:07:49 PM  
You can get a lifetime supply of amoxicillin in Mexico for about $25.
 
farkitallletitend
2022-11-30 3:07:49 PM  
Because they don't work anymore from overuse so what's the point.
 
functionisalwaystaken
2022-11-30 3:09:33 PM  

Dafatone: CSB: I had a reaction to liquid amoxicillin when I was very little. I didn't get fully tested for an allergy for it, but it's on my chart. Now all my doctor interactions begin with "you're allergic to amoxicillin? "Maybe!"


If you have a decent relationship with your physician and live with another responsible adult, you can ask your physician to challenge the allergy.  You and your responsible adult will have to keep an eye out for adverse reactions and be ready to get to an ER.  It is possible your reaction as a kid was coincidental and you may be able to add amoxicillin back to your lineup.

/Mrs Function has lots of drug information knowledge
//she is also allergic to all of the -illins
///threeeeeee
 
EponymousCowHerd [BareFark]
2022-11-30 3:09:37 PM  

Icarus_Rising: eyeq360: I'm guessing a lot more people are getting sick, a spike in RSV and the flu, antibiotics getting prescribed for viral infections, and for diabetes medications, assholes on TikTok and social media using them as a weight loss hack.

Is that thing?


Does it work?


/asking for a friend.


Mounjaro was approved earlier this year for treatment of Type 2 diabetes. One of the side effects seems to be a gradual persistent weight loss by making users feel full faster and longer.

There is an ongoing study to test weight loss in non-diabetics. The FDA has fast tracked it for approval and it may be approved as an obesity treatment in early 2023 if all goes well.

It looks extremely promising. People who are taking it say it changes their relationship with food in a way that is life altering in a positive way.
 
Myrkor
2022-11-30 3:11:10 PM  

oa330_man: Profit is  a reason.  It's just not the one that they want being synonymous with the companies names.


Not always.  Tyvek, the white plastic sheets used in house construction, is used for medical and laboratory packaging since it isn't degraded by sterilization methods.  It can also be used for PPE that can sterilized and reused for the same reason.  Which we have had a big demand for reusable PPE in the past two years.  Tyvek for packaging hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels.  So the drugs can only be made as fast as the packaging for their raw materials can be made available.

If they want to switch to a different packaging, they have to have prove the material performs the same as Tyvek.  And they have to prove that with every regulatory body before they can switch.  Which can take a long time normally and now those agencies have covid backlog that makes it longer.

So, if you are one of the raw material manufacturers; you can revalidate your products and force your customers to do the same, or stick with Tyvek and hope supply improves.
 
TypoFlyspray
2022-11-30 3:11:22 PM  
FTFA: three of the five manufacturers "did not provide a reason" for the shortages, and one "refuses to provide availability information,"

Nationalize that one.  fark that sideways.  You won't be transparent, there's no reason for you to be protected, so you belong to the government now.
 
germ78
2022-11-30 3:13:02 PM  
Capitalism depends on scarcity, subby. Can't bilk the public on drug prices when you make too much of them.
 
Dafatone
2022-11-30 3:17:38 PM  

functionisalwaystaken: Dafatone: CSB: I had a reaction to liquid amoxicillin when I was very little. I didn't get fully tested for an allergy for it, but it's on my chart. Now all my doctor interactions begin with "you're allergic to amoxicillin? "Maybe!"

If you have a decent relationship with your physician and live with another responsible adult, you can ask your physician to challenge the allergy.  You and your responsible adult will have to keep an eye out for adverse reactions and be ready to get to an ER.  It is possible your reaction as a kid was coincidental and you may be able to add amoxicillin back to your lineup.

/Mrs Function has lots of drug information knowledge
//she is also allergic to all of the -illins
///threeeeeee


I've never had a problem with penicillin, so I generally figure why not avoid amoxicillin just in case.

But that's helpful information, thanks!
 
Smelly Pirate Hooker
2022-11-30 3:26:24 PM  
This is obviously fake news and all those "sick kids" are crisis actors.

There. This is how you handle problems in America today.
 
talkyournonsense
2022-11-30 3:34:16 PM  

Fark_Guy_Rob: 1 in 3 antibiotic prescriptions in the US are not medically justified. And this is after years of training for doctors to stop doing it  The number one reasons doctors give for handing out these drugs like candy is that the patients expect something and will be unhappy if they don't.

The entire foundation of our medical system is based on the idea that doctors are better than regular folk. This and the opioid epidemic prove they aren't. Smarter? Yes. Better educated? Yes.

More moral? Nope. Just as greedy as the rest of us, moreso actually.

And that's the US where doctors make obscene amounts of money.

Nonetheless, 1-in-3 antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. are given to treat those infections, making the doses unnecessary and a potential health threat, according to new data published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).


My dr won't give me antibiotics even for strep because she says it only really takes a day odd being contagious and doesn't make you any better faster.
I don't even get them for gooy bronchitis anymore because 98% are viral. If I'm sick for more than 10 days she might consider it.

Now on to the other problem other than over prescribing. Companies set the price at willing to pay. People will pay anything for live savings drugs but only a certain number actually have that much money so the equation becomes what is the maximum amount of money we can get for the drug across the least number of people to create profit. They don't care if our one person can afford penicillin as long as it creates the most profit possible.
 
talkyournonsense
2022-11-30 3:34:36 PM  

cleek: "According to the FDA webpage, there are currently more than 120 medications - ranging from amoxicillin and albuterol to a non-insulin diabetes medication known as semaglutide to basic intravenous fluids such as sodium chloride - that are unavailable or in short supply in the United States. "

so we've run out of salt water?


Clean salt water, yeah
 
RandomInternetComment
2022-11-30 3:35:37 PM  

eyeq360: I'm guessing a lot more people are getting sick, a spike in RSV and the flu, antibiotics getting prescribed for viral infections, and for diabetes medications, assholes on TikTok and social media using them as a weight loss hack.


Wait how would antibiotics help with weight loss?
 
patrick767
2022-11-30 3:36:07 PM  
And there remains a limited profit motive to do better, particularly for low-cost medications such as amoxicillin.

I knew we weren't shoveling enough money to the pharma companies! No matter how much profit they rake in...

Fark user imageView Full Size


I remember reading some articles years ago where more than one actual pharma company spokesperson responded to questions about exorbitantly priced medications and how the price related to their costs by saying, "we base our prices on the value the medication brings to the marketplace".

Really? Suppose it's a lifesaving drug. What's the value to the marketplace of people not dying? How about an expected lifespan of five years instead of two? How much is that worth? They're straight up admitting that they charge the absolute maximum they think they can get out of you (you, your insurance, the government, etc) to save/extend your loved one's life, regardless of their actual costs. Oh, you're dying? Fark you, pay us!

Not surprisingly, the profit motive applied to life or death situations can result in some really farking high prices.
 
EnderWiggnz
2022-11-30 3:43:03 PM  

majestic: You can get a lifetime supply of amoxicillin in Mexico for about $25.


and they make a reasonable profit.

Overhead costs is horse hockey, the vast majority of these drugs are produced for fractions of a penny.  Thee is no reason, good or bad that basic medications are running out.  It's mallicious.
 
BlazeTrailer
2022-11-30 3:43:59 PM  
Avoid antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. The more we take, the more they will be necessary
 
baron von doodle [OhFark]
2022-11-30 3:47:35 PM  

Fark_Guy_Rob: 1 in 3 antibiotic prescriptions in the US are not medically justified. And this is after years of training for doctors to stop doing it  The number one reasons doctors give for handing out these drugs like candy is that the patients expect something and will be unhappy if they don't.

The entire foundation of our medical system is based on the idea that doctors are better than regular folk. This and the opioid epidemic prove they aren't. Smarter? Yes. Better educated? Yes.

More moral? Nope. Just as greedy as the rest of us, moreso actually.

And that's the US where doctors make obscene amounts of money.

Nonetheless, 1-in-3 antibiotic prescriptions in the U.S. are given to treat those infections, making the doses unnecessary and a potential health threat, according to new data published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).


I've often wondered how many of those prescriptions are just given out so that the patient will STFU and GTFO.
 
Thingster
2022-11-30 3:48:05 PM  
Outsourcing to the point of detriment to national security.

See: everything else.
 
Promo Sapien
2022-11-30 3:54:02 PM  

Somacandra: Test results  + for RSV just came in. With my existing Asthma and COPD scarring, this sux.


I wish you a safe and swift recovery.
 
baron von doodle [OhFark]
2022-11-30 3:55:13 PM  

Dafatone: WastrelWay: FTFA: "We also know that health care providers have a bad habit of prescribing antibiotics when they're not indicated..."

The reason they do that is that viral infections, such as RSV, may lead to secondary bacterial infections. It's a precaution, and it might be a good idea in some cases (yeah, especially if the people or their health insurance will pay for it). You'll get allergic to amoxicillin if you have to take it too long. I know, because it's happened to me.

CSB: I had a reaction to liquid amoxicillin when I was very little. I didn't get fully tested for an allergy for it, but it's on my chart. Now all my doctor interactions begin with "you're allergic to amoxicillin? "Maybe!"


I'm allergic to eucalyptus. I have to explain what it is and that it is in some cold medication every time I visit the doctor.
 
Promo Sapien
2022-11-30 3:55:38 PM  

EponymousCowHerd: Mounjaro


I like how it rises like a leopardess above the Serengeti
 
theknuckler_33
2022-11-30 3:55:46 PM  
I haven't been 'sick' since before the pandemic.

/I did suffer a stroke though
 
JohnBigBootay
2022-11-30 3:56:08 PM  

majestic: You can get a lifetime supply of amoxicillin in Mexico for about $25.


You checked that fact lately?
 
baron von doodle [OhFark]
2022-11-30 3:56:54 PM  

EponymousCowHerd: Icarus_Rising: eyeq360: I'm guessing a lot more people are getting sick, a spike in RSV and the flu, antibiotics getting prescribed for viral infections, and for diabetes medications, assholes on TikTok and social media using them as a weight loss hack.

Is that thing?


Does it work?


/asking for a friend.

Mounjaro was approved earlier this year for treatment of Type 2 diabetes. One of the side effects seems to be a gradual persistent weight loss by making users feel full faster and longer.

There is an ongoing study to test weight loss in non-diabetics. The FDA has fast tracked it for approval and it may be approved as an obesity treatment in early 2023 if all goes well.

It looks extremely promising. People who are taking it say it changes their relationship with food in a way that is life altering in a positive way.


Soon to be too expensive to treat diabetes.
 
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