DELAURO ON PRESCRIPTION DRUG SHORTAGES

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement today in response to President Obama's Executive Order directing the FDA and Department of Justice to act on preventing prescription drug shortages. In the last five years, prescription drug shortages have tripled, leaving many Americans without the medicine they need.

"Prescription drug shortages can have a devastating impact, not only on the patients who rely upon these medicines, but on the researchers trying to develop new and better treatments and healthcare providers trying to treat patients with the drug they believe will be most effective. These shortages have even led to price gouging and a ‘gray market' for prescription drugs, making life even more difficult for Americans already struggling in this difficult economy. This is unacceptable in any case, but especially as some of the patients most affected by these shortages are battling cancer and other serious illnesses.

"We know that nearly half of these shortages are because of problems at manufacturing facilities which fail to meet FDA safety and quality standards to ensure that Americans have access to safe, effective, and affordable medicines. The industry must step up to meet these standards, and we must invest in staff and technology at the FDA so the agency can work with industry to resolve manufacturing problems in a timely manner. Without adequate funding, the FDA's mission of protecting the American public is being compromised. I am encouraged by the President's effort to increase staff in the FDA's Drug Shortage Program, but we must fully fund the FDA so this is more than a short-term effort. I urge my Republican colleagues to reconsider their reckless and potentially dangerous budget cuts, and to fully fund the FDA."