Medical officials are warning that after a manufacturer of albuterol, a life-saving asthma drug, shut down last week, supplies that were already short since last summer are about to get worse, especially in hospitals.
Potential crisis mounting as shortage of life-saving asthma drug goes critical
People struggling with asthma and other breathing problems are facing a critical shortage of albuterol – a drug that can sometimes make the difference between life and death for those with respiratory problems.
Liquid albuterol is used to treat small children and those with more severe asthma symptoms, delivered as an inhalable mist for treating asthma attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID, BuzzFeed News reports.
At least 25 million Americans suffer from asthma and other respiratory conditions, many of which are life-threatening.
Albuterol is classified as a rescue medication, as it is used to treat asthma symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Other types of medication used for respiratory conditions are utilized as maintenance or long-term daily medications, such as corticosteroids, for addressing underlying inflammation, which helps reduce the chance that rescue drugs will be needed.
What has caused the shortage?
Supplies of liquid albuterol have already been in short supply since a manufacturer, Akorn Operating Company LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2020, and supplies remained low over the summer, WTTW reported.
But now, the same Akorn factory has shut down completely, removing a major supplier to hospitals altogether. Medical experts say this critical shortage of a common drug in treating breathing problems is about to get much worse, CNN reported.
Crisis hits children’s hospitals especially hard
What made Akorn so vital in the supply chain is that it was the only company to make certain albuterol products used for continuous nebulizer treatment. Such treatment is a staple in Children’s hospitals. However, supplies for children have been out of stock since last fall.
Without continuous albuterol nebulizers available, hospitals have been scrambling to find alternatives.
What is being done to find alternative treatments?
Hospitals around the country say they are watching their current stock of albuterol closely while monitoring the supply chain. Medical professionals are concerned that it might be necessary to delay discharging patients who will not have enough medicine at home. Doctors also expect to see more emergency room visits for people with breathing problems that are without access to medicine.
Reportedly, hospitals are compounding albuterol themselves to make the product or looking for an outside third-party source who is compounding the product, according to one major pharmacy group.
Doctors are pressuring federal health officials to act quickly to restructure liquid albuterol manufacturing in the United States.
