On the recordJanuary 26, 2012
I rise today to talk about the drug shortage crisis that is continuing to spread across the country. I am proud to stand here today with my friend and colleague, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who has been a leader on this issue and who shares my concern for so many patients who are struggling to find much needed medication. This is a crisis that has grown to such proportion that current drug shortages have impacted individuals all across the country, forcing some patients to delay their lifesaving treatments or use unproven, less effective alternatives. In some cases, drug shortages have even resulted in patient deaths. Enough is enough. We can no longer just simply talk about this issue and have meetings. We need to act. Here is one story. A few months ago, I met a young boy named Axel Zirbes. Axel has bright eyes and a big smile. He also happens to have no hair on his head because he has childhood leukemia. When his parents found he had leukemia, and he was scheduled to start chemotherapy treatment last year, they learned that an essential drug--Cytarabine-- was in short supply and might not be available for their son. Understandably, they were thrown into a panic, desperately looking for any available alternatives. They even prepared and made plans to take Axel to Canada, where the drug was still readily available. Fortunately, it didn't come to that. But Axel and his parents are not alone.…
