WESTLAND, Mich. (WXYZ) — A critical shortage of two life-saving cancer treatments is putting patients, doctors, and lawmakers on alert.
The shortage of both carboplatin and cisplatin has been ongoing for weeks and is having a direct impact on the type of treatment cancer patients are receiving.
This year marks 5 years since Desiree Swiney of Westland received the devastating news of her cancer diagnosis. However, it also marks 4 years, since she became cancer-free thanks to surgery and months of chemotherapy.
“I was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer in November of 2018,” Swiney said. “I have had no evidence of disease since ending treatment in June of 2019. I did so well because I responded so well to the chemotherapy.”
But one of the chemotherapy drugs Swiney used is called carboplatin, which is now in short supply nationwide. Swiney has spoken to current ovarian cancer patients and says the shortage is causing delays or changes to their treatment plans.
“It’s already so hard to treat, and to not have the drugs that we know work against it is devastating,” Swiney said. “The emotions get very personal and it’s very hard to deal with knowing that.”
Laura Appel with the Michigan Health and Hospital Association says Michigan hospitals have been battling this shortage for weeks.
“At one point I know of one organization that had none of the carboplatin and only 2 days' worth of the cisplatin,” Appel said.
She said some doctors were preparing for challenging discussions over which patients would get the life-saving treatment.
“I don't know if any of those conversations actually had to happen, but I know they were under preparation,” Appel said. “Which of course is extremely difficult to have to even consider.”
Appel says the usual price of cisplatin is $11 a dose, but one Michigan hospital system recently paid $550 a dose just to secure the medicine. She says there was hope the shortage would end by June, but so far she’s seen no signs of letting up.
“We haven't heard reports that the pressure is off, nor have we heard reports that the pricing has come down,” Appel said. “It’s heart-wrenching for the clinician. It’s deeply frightening I imagine for patients. It’s not a circumstance that any of us want to be in.”
The association and patients are urging the FDA and Congress to act now while also calling for long-term reform. Senator Gary Peters is one of the lawmakers who proposed a bill just last week, hoping the US will be better prepared for future shortages, calling our overreliance on foreign-produced medication a national security threat.
“Even though I'm in remission, it’s still always a chance I'm going to have it again,” Swiney said. “To think that if it happened tomorrow, I might not be able to have proper treatment with a drug I know worked for me in the past is very frightening.”
In the meantime, the FDA has temporarily allowed the importation of foreign-approved versions of cisplatin.
