FDA Announces Action to Relieve Opioid and Other IV Drug Shortages

The Food and Drug Administration has approved special handling instructions to allow health care providers to use certain opioid and other intravenous drug products made by Hospira that were on hold due to low potential for a manufacturing defect but are in short supply. Health care providers should not use the Carpuject Luer Lock Glass Syringe products if the cartridges are visibly damaged or contain particulate matter, according to the instructions. Hospitals and health systems continue to experience critical shortages of a number of injectable opioid medications. Commenting this month on a Drug Enforcement Administration proposed rule on controlled substances quotas, AHA urged the agency to include drug shortages as a factor when setting and adjusting aggregate and individual manufacturers’ production quotas for controlled substances, and joined with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and others in requesting similar changes to the proposed rule.