Baking soda shortage could escalate to health care crisis
Hospitals must delay, prioritize procedures
@NathanBomey USA TODAY
A breakdown in the supply chain of sodium bicarbonate — the same basic compound as household baking soda — for use in medical procedures is likely to limit access to certain treatments in hospitals through the end of the year.
A shortage of the antacid prompts health care providers to carefully prioritize procedures, delay some operations or choose alternative treatments.
The crisis is directly connected to troubles at a supplier of pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer, but it has rippled through the medical sector, which relies on the compound to treat various conditions, including drug overdoses and acidosis. The shortages could affect patients facing severe renal disease, diabetes, severe dehydration and cardiac arrest.
“Drug shortages have this potential to compromise” the need for immediate care, said Sandra Kane-Gill, chair of the medication use safety committee at the Society of Critical Care Medicine. “It does have potential patient safety implications.”
Documents filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration show that dozens of treatments won’t be back to full availability until the fourth quarter, including several that may take until December.
The shortage, which started in September, is rooted in delays at Pfizer’s Hospira manufacturing plant in North Carolina. That production jam caused greater demand and delays at competitor Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, which has since increased its production capacity.
A third pharmaceuticals manufacturer, Athenex, reported Wednesday it is coordinating a plan with the FDA to temporarily import an Australian-made injection of sodium bicarbonate for emergency sales in the USA.