SYRACUSE -- A common leukemia fighting drug is in short supply, and CNY Central talked to hospital representatives who gave us the status of the drug supply locally.
Cytarabine is a common effective drug used to treat certain forms of leukemia, such as acute, chronic, nyelogenous, and lymphocytic leukemias.
Due to a manufacturing recall, cytarabine is now in limited supply across the United States.
The drug's manufacturer is distributing it in short supply. The Food and Drug Administration has looked outside the country for a foreign manufacturer to supply the U.S.
The FDA says that some 180 drugs are in short supply through the first nine months of 2010, in comparison to the 166 in all of 2009. About 40% of these shortages are caused by manufacturing issues.
The drug is administered through an IV, and is distributed as a powder. Cytarabine was recalled because the powder began to crystallize, due to the limited amount of natural supplies available.
Tuesday, CNY Central talked to Steven Ciullo, Director of Pharmaceutical services at Upstate University Hospital. He assured us the hospital isn't worried for the time being. Upstate had noticed a pattern of recalls of the drug in the fall, and increased the inventory before the shortage became widespread.
There are substitutes for the drug available, but Ciullo says they aren't as effective.
Click here for more information from Fierce Pharma Manufacturing.
Click here for more information from ABC News.
This is our "Facebook Story of the Day". Please visit our CNY Central Facebook page and join in on the conversation!
