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February 2012
DRUG SHORTAGES-WE CAN HELP!
While drug shortages have always existed, the problem has escalated and more than 200 important medications are now unavailable. Current shortages are often the result of a drug company's decision to halt production of older drugs that are less costly in favor of manufacturing newer, more profitable products. However, in many cases the medications that are pulled from production are life-sustaining, such as electrolyte solutions, chemotherapy, and drugs used during resuscitation. While the decisions made by pharmaceutical manufacturers may be in the best interest of their stockholders, patient care is suffering and many critical drugs are now indefinitely backordered. In many cases, we can help by compounding the needed medications. We have the resources to help practitioners and hospitals deal with these shortages, and we can also compound medications that have been discontinued for reasons such as declining usage, reduced profitability, short shelf life, or inability to source an ingredient used in the commercial product.
A list of drugs that are in short supply or completely unavailable can be found at http://www.ashp.org/shortages or
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugShortages.
Contact our compounding pharmacist if a medication that you need is not commercially available.
Copyright 2011, Storey Marketing - Compounding News. All rights reserved.
January 2012
Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Complications of foot ulcers are a leading cause of hospitalization and amputation in people with diabetes. Diabetic foot ulcers result from neuropathy (loss of protective sensation) or ischemia (decreased blood flow and poor oxygenation that leads to tissue breakdown). Autonomic neuropathy causes dryness of the skin by decreased sweating and therefore vulnerability of the skin to break down. Necrotic (dying) tissue is laden with bacteria apt to grow in such an environment, so infections often complicate existing foot ulcers. Protective footwear and properly fitted diabetic shoes help to reduce the development of foot ulcers in people with diabetes. Every effort should be made to prevent diabetic foot ulceration and treat existing ulcers by multidisciplinary teams in order to decrease amputations. Relieving pressure on the ulcerated area is necessary to allow healing. Even when healed, diabetic foot ulcers should be regarded as a life-long condition and treated accordingly to prevent recurrence.
Applying a cream containing the amino acid L-arginine to the feet has been reported to improve circulation in the feet of people with diabetes, which might be helpful in preventing foot ulcers. Ask our compounding pharmacist for more information.
Copyright 2011, Storey Marketing - Compounding News. All rights reserved.
