How the US Food and Drug Administration can solve the prescription drug shortage problem

S.O. Schweitzer

American Journal of Public Health, 2013, vol. 103, issue 5, e10-e14

Abstract: Drug shortages are threatening care quality and costcontainment efforts. I describe the pharmaceutical marketplace changes that have caused the problem, and propose new policies to solve it, through changing incentives for producers and purchasers. I propose a grading scheme for the Food and Drug Administration when it inspects manufacturing facilities in the United States and abroad. The inspections' focus would change from closing unsafe plants to improving production process quality, reducing the likelihood that plants will be closed-the most frequent cause of drug shortages.

Keywords: generic drug; prescription drug, article; cost control; drug cost; drug industry; economics; food and drug administration; human; methodology; quality control; standard; United States, Cost Control; Drug Costs; Drug Industry; Drugs, Generic; Humans; Prescription Drugs; Quality Control; United States; United States Food and Drug Administration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2013.301239_4

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301239

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