Drug Shortages in US

US faces "unprecedented" shortages of certain drugs.
ABC World News (12/22, story 7, 2:45, Stephanopoulos) reported on the "unprecedented shortage of drugs, everything from life extending cancer treatments to medications routinely administered in emergency" departments. Dr. Michael Link, president-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, was shown saying, "This year, a nationwide shortage of over 100 critical medications used for everything from anesthesia to asthma."
ABC News (12/22, Salahi) reported on its website, "Many hospital patients are being turned away for potentially life-saving injection treatments in what may be the largest US hospital drug shortage in over two decades." The majority of "drugs in short supply are known as injectables and include sedation medication such as propofol, the popular blood thinner heparin, and hard-hitting chemotherapy drugs like doxorubicin." Dr. Link said, "I've been in practice more than 30 years and this is the first time I've encountered shortages that may affect patient care." According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, demand for many drugs has only increased.
The CNN (12/22) "The Chart" blog reported that Dr. Richard Schilsky, a spokesman for the American Society for Clinical Oncology and professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, said, "In some cases, it's possible to substitute one [cancer] drug for another, but [in other cases] there are not a great deal of options."