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FDA Allows Temporary Import of Unapproved Chinese Cancer Drug to Ease U.S. Shortage
CNBC ^ | FRI, JUN 2 2023 | Spencer Kimball

Posted on 06/03/2023 8:53:38 PM PDT by nickcarraway

-The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given Qilu Pharmaceutical permission to ship cisplatin to the United States to ease a national cancer drug shortage.

-The drug maker’s cisplatin injections are manufactured and marketed in China. Cisplatin is widely used in chemotherapy to treat testicular, lung, bladder, cervical and ovarian cancers.

-The FDA earlier said it was considering allowing nonapproved drugs to be imported to alleviate the shortage.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the temporary importation of an unapproved chemotherapy drug from China in effort to ease an acute shortage of cancer drugs in the United States, according to an update posted to the agency’s website Friday.

Qilu Pharmaceutical, which makes and markets cisplatin injections in China, received FDA permission to export the drug to the U.S. market weeks ago, a document shows.

A letter dated May 24 from Qilu’s deputy general manager notified health care professionals of the approval.

Qilu is coordinating with a Toronto-based company, Apotex, to distribute 50-milligram cisplatin vials in the U.S.

Health care providers can begin ordering the drug Tuesday through their wholesalers.

Cisplatin is a generic drug that has been available for decades in the U.S. and is distributed by several approved manufacturers. Those manufacturers have been unable to keep up with demand. Qilu’s version of cisplatin is not approved in the U.S.

Qilu, which is headquartered in the city of Jinan in Shandong province, says it is one of the 10 largest drug manufacturers in China.

The FDA told CNBC this week the agency was considering imports of unapproved chemotherapy drugs, but it did not at that time disclose the names of any manufacturers who might provide that medication.

An FDA spokesperson said the agency assesses the quality of unapproved drug imports to make sure they are safe for U.S. patients.

Doctors say some cancer patients could die if the national shortage of drugs such as cisplatin is not resolved soon. At least 13 other cancer drugs are in short supply across the U.S.

The cancer drug shortages have forced some hospitals to ration medications by reducing the dosage to extend the supply and prioritizing patients who have a better chance of being cured.

Cisplatin is widely used to treat testicular, lung, bladder, cervical and ovarian cancers among other disease states. Up to 20% of cancer patients are treated with cisplatin and other platinum-based chemotherapy drugs, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The World Health Organization says the drug is an essential part of basic health care.

The national shortage of cisplatin began in February after a pharmaceutical company based in India temporarily halted production for the U.S. market.

Intas Pharmaceuticals decided to temporarily stop production after an FDA inspection last year found a “cascade of failure” in its quality control unit.

A spokesperson for Intas told CNBC this week the company is working with the FDA to restart production for the U.S., but no date has been set yet.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cancer; china; drug; fda
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1 posted on 06/03/2023 8:53:38 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway
Why not?, They literally allowed Pfizer to get away with murder.
2 posted on 06/03/2023 9:04:05 PM PDT by A strike ("The worse, the better."- Lenin (& Schwab & Soros)
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To: nickcarraway

Didn’t Biden cure cancer? He said he would.


3 posted on 06/03/2023 9:19:21 PM PDT by blackdog ((Z28.310) My dog Sam eats purple flowers.)
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To: nickcarraway

Weird.
That drug has been around a long time. Surprised we wouldn’t get it from India or Israel or Ireland.
(The alliteration was kind of a surprise to me.)


4 posted on 06/03/2023 9:20:16 PM PDT by Honest Nigerian
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To: Honest Nigerian
That drug has been around a long time. Surprised we wouldn’t get it from India or Israel or Ireland.

Maybe China offered the best price?

5 posted on 06/03/2023 9:47:28 PM PDT by Angelino97
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To: nickcarraway

“ The cancer drug shortages have forced some hospitals to ration medications by reducing the dosage to extend the supply and prioritizing patients who have a better chance of being cured.”

What on earth?!!!


6 posted on 06/03/2023 9:53:57 PM PDT by HollyB
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To: nickcarraway

It sounds like the same play the FDA did with baby formula.
Shut down the main producer, keep them down for months.
And voila! A shortage.


7 posted on 06/04/2023 12:12:42 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: HollyB

Yep. This is what socialized medicine looks like, and you can bet this is happening because we get so many of our drugs and precursor chemicals from China. They’re withholding. I’m a pharma tech, and I’ve never seen such shortages of medications. From treating ADHD to antibiotics to insulin, epi-pebs and meds that treat frickin’ bowel cramping, we’ve had difficulty getting a lot of meds for patients.


8 posted on 06/04/2023 2:44:54 AM PDT by Tacrolimus1mg (Do no harm, but take no sh!t.)
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To: Angelino97

Check this out...

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/02/cancer-drug-shortage-fda-allows-import-of-unapproved-china-chemo-med.html

The last paragraph...

“A spokesperson for Intas told CNBC this week the company is working with the FDA to restart production for the U.S., but no date has been set yet.”

There you have it.


9 posted on 06/04/2023 3:24:15 AM PDT by mewzilla (We will never restore the republic if we don't first secure the ballot box.)
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To: mewzilla

So the ChiComs made God knows how much off muzzles.

Croaked our republic and economy with their virus.

Now the vaxxes are causing cancers and the ChiComs are making money off cancer meds...


10 posted on 06/04/2023 3:27:56 AM PDT by mewzilla (We will never restore the republic if we don't first secure the ballot box.)
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To: A strike

Trump signed operation warp speed to give them all how much taxpayer dollars. Sickening isn’t it.
After Obama defunded hyperviralization in the US in 2014 as too dangerous.. I was thinking great.. I should have known it was too dangerous, it was potential leaking by someone with a conscious.
They renamed it gain of function to protect Obama and co.


11 posted on 06/04/2023 3:55:52 AM PDT by momincombatboots (BQEphesians 6... who you are really at war with. )
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To: nickcarraway

I was told about a month ago that the carbon platin I was being treated with was in short supply and that what was available was set aside for patients “who could be cured” rather than just treated and improved. My metastatic esophageal cancer has been treated for six years with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. I’ve beaten the odds on 5 year survival through good treatment and God’s grace. Hoping the new drug can be effective and get me a few extra years.

But production of life-saving meds is kind of an abstract concept until it is YOUR life-saving medicine.


12 posted on 06/04/2023 4:01:22 AM PDT by TN4Liberty (My tagline disappeared so this is my new one.)
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To: Honest Nigerian
"Surprised we wouldn’t get it from India or Israel or Ireland."

Maybe the Big Guy can only get his 10% from China?

13 posted on 06/04/2023 4:21:03 AM PDT by The Duke
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To: nickcarraway

Just realized what this reminds me of...

That EUA for approved use of KN-95s in healthcare settings during the scamdemic.

Cui bono...


14 posted on 06/04/2023 5:39:09 AM PDT by mewzilla (We will never restore the republic if we don't first secure the ballot box.)
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To: DannyTN

What if these are tests to determine how our economy responds to certain stimulus?

In unrelated news, egg shortage is over, prices are below what they were pre-”avian flu”.


15 posted on 06/04/2023 7:19:45 AM PDT by Sarcazmo (I live by the Golden Rule. As applied by others; I'm not selfish.)
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To: Tacrolimus1mg

On average, how long is it taking to get the meds in (if there is a shortage? A week? a month ?


16 posted on 06/04/2023 7:56:09 AM PDT by HollyB
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To: Tacrolimus1mg
The border invaders can't be helping, either. From doctors offices to the pharmacy, I've encountered them of late. I thought my local pharmacist was going to lose her mind as a couple held up the line while they called an interpreter on their Obama phones to help them pick up their hoard of prescriptions.
17 posted on 06/04/2023 8:01:49 AM PDT by liberalh8ter (The only difference between flash mob 'urban yutes' and U.S. politicians is the hoodies.)
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To: nickcarraway

90% of our pharmaceuticals come from China any questions about who control who now all thanks to seedy deals the money hustlers in D.C. has caused.

China is our friend
Joe Biden


18 posted on 06/04/2023 9:31:31 AM PDT by Vaduz (....)
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To: HollyB

Depends on the meds. Ozempic and diabetic drugs may take a few weeks, but stuff like generic Adderall - it’s months. Anything on backorder has an open ETA.

Children’s Tylenol and Motrin we haven’t had for over six months.


19 posted on 06/04/2023 11:33:17 PM PDT by Tacrolimus1mg (Do no harm, but take no sh!t.)
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To: HollyB

For the record, here’s the FDA shortages list:

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/drugshortages/default.cfm


20 posted on 06/04/2023 11:35:18 PM PDT by Tacrolimus1mg (Do no harm, but take no sh!t.)
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