A survey of physicians, pharmacists, and nurses working in healthcare facilities found an increasing number of frustrating drug shortages.  Worse:

• One out of three reviewed facilities had a serious error that was caught in time — a near miss.
• One out of four had an actual medication error resulting from the shortages.
• One out of five reported actual adverse outcomes for patients.

This may only be the tip of the iceberg according to the health care professionals surveyed.  Many felt that errors and bad patient outcomes aren’t always shared so there maybe many more. Read the rest of this entry »

Under the new health care law, millions of Americans will benefit from more accessible and affordable health care – but the key will be getting individuals actually enrolled.

Enroll America is a new nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure that all Americans are enrolled in and retain health coverage. It will work at the state and federal levels to push for streamlined enrollment procedures and will also raise awareness of enrollment options among the uninsured.

If you are uninsured, learn about your options at the Enroll America website.

Some recent updates from the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists of interest to people with colon and rectal cancer:

• Fluorouracil (5-FU) as of 8/31/11: On back order from Teva, APP Pharmaceuticals, and Mylan Institutional.  Manufacturing delays at Teva appear to have caused increased demand from other companies.
• Leucovorin as of 8/31/11:   Bedford has some powderized sizes available and limited allocations of others.  Teva is importing folinic acid solution and it is available for drop shipment, but powdered leucovorin is on back order. APP is releasing powderized leucovorin as it becomes available.
• Irinotecan as of 8/26/11:  Teva and Sandoz have back orders of some doses because of manufacturing problems.  Hospira shortages are due to increased demand.  Some dosage vials are available from APP and as Camptosar from Pfizer.  Three generic manufacturers stopped making irinotecan in 2010 and another one did so in May 2011.
• Fusilev as of 6/21/11:  Although it was in shortage previously, Spectrum has announced that they have ample supplies currently and for the future.  ASHP reminds physicians and pharmacists that dosing errors can occur when substituting Fusilev (levoleucovorin) for leucovorin.

Check the links to ASHP updated sites for more detailed information about which sizes are available, reasons given for shortages, and when shortages are expected to be resolved.

Take action!

Email your Members of Congress in support of legislation that would combat future drug shortages. We make it easy in our online action center.

Although they are widely touted on TV, on the Internet, and in newspaper and magazine ads, colon cleansing regimens have

• No proof  that they are effective in promoting general health or well-being.
• Lots of evidence that they are actually harmful, even potentially life-threatening.

Administered either orally as teas, pills, or powders or through the rectum as high-powered enemas or colonic hydrotherapy, colon cleansers promise to “detox” the body and eliminate fatigue, weight gain, and headaches.  Using informercials and celebrities, they say they will “boost the immune system” and promote weight loss.

The problem is that there is not a shred of evidence that colon cleansing does any of these things.

And there is evidence that it can make holes in the colon requiring surgery, cause serious infections, lead to dehydration and heart and kidney damage, and sometimes kill.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dr. William I. Wolff

Dr. William Wolff died on August 20 at his home Manhattan.  He was 94.

In the mid 1960′s Dr. Wolff, working with his colleague Dr. Hiromi Shinya at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, began studying how fiber optics and a long, soft, flexible tube might make it possible to see inside the entire length of the colon.  Together they developed  the first colonoscope.

In 1969, Dr. Shinya invented a wire snare and electrocautery making it possible for the team to remove polyps during a colonoscopy.

By 1973, Dr. Wolff and Dr. Shinya had performed over 2,000 colonoscopies in the Endoscopy Unit at Beth Israel, demonstrating that in skilled hands they could be done safely.  Their use of a wire loop snare and electrocautery made it possible to remove most polyps during the colonoscopy itself and avoid risky abdominal surgery.

Last year more than 1.6 million colonoscopies were done in the United States, preventing tens of thousands of future colon cancers.

Read the rest of this entry »