Senators Urge FDA to Convene Drug Shortages Task Force

A bipartisan group of 31 senators last week urged Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., to convene the Drug Shortages Task Force created by the FDA Safety and Innovation Act of 2012, stakeholders and other relevant agencies to report on the root causes of drug shortages and the authorities FDA and other federal agencies need to address them. “We appreciate the work of the agency to mitigate the impact of shortages created in the wake of Hurricane Maria and recent shortages resulting from manufacturing deficiencies,” the senators wrote. “However, drug shortages continue to present consistent, frequent, and significant risks for patients and threaten the stability of our health care system.” The letter was spearheaded by Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee members Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).