NCCN 2024 Annual Conference Shares Cancer Care Updates for Practical, Immediate Use in Practice

More than 1,700 oncology professionals attended National Comprehensive Cancer Network meeting in Orlando and online, featuring clinical and administrative updates for improving cancer care worldwide, plenary sessions on Lynch syndrome and drug shortages, plus nearly 200 poster abstracts with new research.

New Study Shows Shortages of Hair Loss Drug in DMV Pharmacies

In August 2022, a New York Times article highlighted an off-label use of a drug that remedies a type of hair loss. The subsequent media attention led to a surge in interest in the drug known as Minoxidil. Researchers at the George Washington University surveyed pharmacies in the Washington, Maryland and Virginia metro area and found shortages in thirty day supplies of the drug.

U.S. Cancer Centers Continue to See Chemotherapy Shortages, According to Update from NCCN

72% of the centers surveyed by NCCN continue to experience a shortage of carboplatin and 59% are still seeing a shortage of cisplatin. Overall, 86% of centers surveyed reported experiencing a shortage of at least one type of anti-cancer drug.

NCCN Releases Statement Addressing Ongoing Chemotherapy Shortages; Shares Survey Results Finding More than 90% of Cancer Centers are Impacted

National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Department of Policy and Advocacy calls on Federal Government, pharmaceutical industry, providers, and payers to work together on solutions, as 93% of cancer centers surveyed report a shortage of carboplatin and 70% report shortages for cisplatin; two medications that are used in combination to cure many types of cancer.

Mitigating Drug Shortages via a Quality Management Rating System is Viable: New Study

A “quality management maturity” (QMM) rating system for pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities is viable toward reducing drug shortages and increasing medicine availability, according to research by risk management expert Clifford Rossi at the University of Maryland.