Researchers discovered of the 193 medications unavailable in the U.S., 13 percent were anti-infective drugs. Frequent anti-infective shortages can substantially alter clinical care and may lead to worse outcomes for patients, particularly as the development of new anti-infectives has slowed and the prevalence of multidrug-resistant pathogens is increasing, the authors said.
Despite this challenge, the authors said multidisciplinary stewardship programs can boost appropriate “selection, dosing, route of administration, and duration of antimicrobial therapy” when a first-line anti-infective drug is in short supply. Healthcare providers can also develop strategies that anticipate the impact and extent of drug shortages as well as identify therapeutic alternatives that mitigate potential adverse outcomes.
Regulatory oversight may also be needed to identify and correct shortages of anti-infective drugs, the authors said.
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