Planet Money Why do hospitals keep running out of generic drugs?
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Oct 25, 2024 Marta Voschinska, a healthcare economist and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, dives into the perplexing world of generic drug shortages plaguing hospitals. She explains how these essential, low-cost medications frequently go out of stock and uncovers the complexities behind their manufacturing and pricing. Voschinska discusses the paradox of cheap drugs leading to market exits, and advocates for prioritizing manufacturer reliability over cost, emphasizing the need for systemic changes to ensure better patient care.
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The Nurse's Plight
- Nurse Jared Sibbitt faces constant drug shortages at his hospital.
- Common drugs like dextrose and epinephrine are often unavailable, requiring workarounds.
Cake Frosting Fix
- When IV dextrose (sugar water) is unavailable, nurses sometimes resort to using cake frosting.
- This workaround addresses low blood sugar, though not ideally.
Epinephrine Emergency
- Epinephrine shortages force nurses to dilute available concentrations, which is risky during cardiac arrests.
- On-the-spot calculations increase the chance of errors in life-or-death situations.