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Platinum Chemo Shortage Led to Reduced Use, No Change in Mortality

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 31, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 30, 2024 -- The platinum chemotherapy shortage, first announced on Feb. 10, 2023, resulted in a modest absolute reduction in platinum use, but no difference in mortality, according to a study published online Dec. 3 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Jacob B. Reibel, M.D., from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and colleagues quantified the extent to which the shortage of cisplatin and carboplatin affected prescribing of platinum chemotherapy and short-term mortality. A total of 11,797 adults with advanced solid cancers who initiated first-line therapy during the one-year period before (Feb. 1, 2022, to Feb. 9, 2023) or during (Feb. 10, 2023, to Jan. 31, 2024) the shortage were included in the cohort study.

The researchers observed a 2.7 percent absolute reduction in platinum use during the shortage compared with the previous year. Compared with one year prior, there was a 15.1 percent absolute reduction in platinum prescribing seen during the peak of the shortage (57.8 and 72.9 percent in June 2023 and June 2022, respectively). With a median follow-up of 7.6 months, no difference was seen in mortality before versus during the shortage.

"Understanding the role of mitigation strategies, such as waste minimization (i.e., dose rounding), selection of alternative treatment regimens proposed by oncologic societies, and importation efforts by regulators will offer important policy insight for future chemotherapy shortage crises," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical and health technology companies, including Flatiron Health, which owns the data that support the findings of this study.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted December 2024

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