Manon Videau1, Lotfi Chemali2, Cyril Stucki3, Mar Saavedra-Mitjans4, Samuel Largana5, Aurélie Guerin6, Pascal Bonnabry7, Blaise Delhauteur8, Thierry Van Hees9, Denis Lebel10, Jean-François Bussières11. 1. is a PharmD candidate with the Faculty of Pharmacy (ISPB), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France, and a Research Assistant with the Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, Pharmacy Department, Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montréal, Quebec. 2. is a PharmD candidate with the Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Paris Descartes, and is also a student intern with the Pharmacy Service, Hôpital Necker-Enfants malades, Paris, France. 3. , DPharm, is a Pharmacist with the Pharmacy Service, Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland. 4. , DPharm, was, at the time of this study a Pharmacist with the Pharmacy Service, Hôpital de Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain. 5. , DPharm, is a Pharmacist and specialist candidate in hospital pharmacy with the Pharmacy Service, Centre hospitalier régional de la Citadelle, Liège, Belgium. 6. , DPharm, is a Pharmacist with the Pharmacy Service, Hôpital Necker-Enfants malades, Paris, France. 7. , DPharm, is Pharmacist and Head of the Pharmacy Service, Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève, Geneva, Switzerland. 8. , DPharm, is Pharmacist and Head of the Pharmacy Service, Centre hospitalier régional de la Citadelle, Liège, Belgium. 9. , DPharm, is Pharmacist and Head of Clinical Pharmacy Services, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium. 10. , BPharm, MSc, FCSHP, is Assistant Director of Patient Care, Teaching and Research, Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, Pharmacy Department, Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montréal, Quebec. 11. , BPharm, MSc, MBA, FCSHP, FOPQ, is Head, Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, Pharmacy Department, Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, and Clinical Professor, Faculty of Pharmacy, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Quebec.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Drug shortages represent a complex global problem affecting patients and health care professionals on a daily basis. OBJECTIVES: To identify, describe, and compare drug shortages in health care facilities in Canada and 4 European countries in early 2018. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 1 hospital in each of 5 countries: Canada, France, Belgium, Spain, and Switzerland. Over a 4-week period, shortage data were collected daily by each hospital using a standardized grid and a standard process. RESULTS: From January 8 to February 2, 2018, there were a total of 84 shortages (median duration 32 days) in the Canadian hospital, 62 shortages (median duration 9 days) in the French hospital, 46 shortages (median duration 37 days) in the Belgian hospital, 28 shortages (median duration 25 days) in the Spanish hospital, and 98 shortages (median duration 68 days) in the Swiss hospital. The number of manufacturers implicated in the shortages was 28 for the Canadian hospital, 30 for the French hospital, 19 for the Belgian hospital, 16 for the Spanish hospital, and 42 for the Swiss hospital. Most of the shortages involved parenteral drugs, with both innovative and generic manufacturers being affected. Most therapeutic classes were affected by shortages to some extent, with the top 3 classes being anti-infective agents (accounting for 21.1% of shortages overall), central nervous system drugs (11.3%), and cardiovascular drugs (8.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Drug shortages occurred almost daily in all of the study hospitals. Across the 5 hospitals, the frequency of shortages varied by a factor of 3, which may imply similar variability at the national level. All stakeholders should work more diligently to prevent and manage drug shortages.
BACKGROUND: Drug shortages represent a complex global problem affecting patients and health care professionals on a daily basis. OBJECTIVES: To identify, describe, and compare drug shortages in health care facilities in Canada and 4 European countries in early 2018. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 1 hospital in each of 5 countries: Canada, France, Belgium, Spain, and Switzerland. Over a 4-week period, shortage data were collected daily by each hospital using a standardized grid and a standard process. RESULTS: From January 8 to February 2, 2018, there were a total of 84 shortages (median duration 32 days) in the Canadian hospital, 62 shortages (median duration 9 days) in the French hospital, 46 shortages (median duration 37 days) in the Belgian hospital, 28 shortages (median duration 25 days) in the Spanish hospital, and 98 shortages (median duration 68 days) in the Swiss hospital. The number of manufacturers implicated in the shortages was 28 for the Canadian hospital, 30 for the French hospital, 19 for the Belgian hospital, 16 for the Spanish hospital, and 42 for the Swiss hospital. Most of the shortages involved parenteral drugs, with both innovative and generic manufacturers being affected. Most therapeutic classes were affected by shortages to some extent, with the top 3 classes being anti-infective agents (accounting for 21.1% of shortages overall), central nervous system drugs (11.3%), and cardiovascular drugs (8.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Drug shortages occurred almost daily in all of the study hospitals. Across the 5 hospitals, the frequency of shortages varied by a factor of 3, which may imply similar variability at the national level. All stakeholders should work more diligently to prevent and manage drug shortages.
Entities:
Keywords:
drug shortages; drug supply; pharmaceutical practice
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