Letter to Therapeutic Goods Administration regarding drug shortages

Dr Brian Richards
Acting National Manager
Therapeutic Goods Administration
PO Box 100
Woden
ACT 2606
7 th March 2012
Dear Dr Richards
Re: National shortage of critical medicines
We are writing to draw your attention to the current serious shortage of a number of critical
medicines in Australia. Medicines in critical short supply include a number of vital anti-cancer
agents.
These supply issues have resulted in changes to the treatment of patients with cancer.
Whilst many of these medicines are usually available from a number of different sources, the
disruption of supply from just one of those sources immediately places enormous pressure on
the supply chain as a whole and the supply to individual hospitals and patients.
It is imperative that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) works with all relevant
agencies and organisations to devise a national strategy to ensure that direct patient care is
not compromised.
We request that a working group is established immediately to enable all relevant
organisations to work with the TGA to implement a national strategy in order to mitigate the
effects of the current drug shortages, and to devise a robust system for handling similar issues
in the future.
Membership of the working party should include representatives from: Department of Health
and Ageing, TGA, Medicines Australia, Generic Medicines Industry Association of Australia,
Clinical Oncological Society of Australia (Cancer Pharmacists Group), Society of Hospital
Pharmacists of Australia, Medical Oncology Group of Australia, Council of Australian
Therapeutic Advisory Groups and national consumer representation (including Cancer Voices
Australia, Consumer Health Forum of Australia and Breast Cancer Network Australia).
In brief, strategies that may address these issues include:
• Enacting legislation that would require all anticipated and actual shortages of prescription
medicines (of any dose / strength) to be reported to the TGA (as part of a national early
warning system)
• Development of a page in a professional section of the TGA website to display the
information on all shortages reported to the TGA

• Email alerts to relevant organisations and healthcare professionals advising them of known
or anticipated shortages
• Systems for fair and equitable distribution of medicines during times of national shortages
We look forward to working with the TGA to reduce the impact of medication shortages on
patients across Australia.
Please direct all correspondence to: Mr Dan Mellor c/o: Pharmacy Department, Peter
MacCallum Cancer Centre, St Andrew’s Place, East Melbourne, Victoria 3002.
Yours sincerely,
Mr Dan Mellor
Chair, COSA Cancer Pharmacists Group
Ms Sue Kirsa
President, Society of Hospital Pharmacists
of Australia
Prof Bodga Koczwara
President, Clinical Oncological Society
of Australia
A/Prof Gary Richardson
Chair, Medical Oncology group of Australia
President, Private Cancer Physicians of
Australia
Dr Ian Roos OAM
Chair, Cancer Voices Australia
Ms Michelle Marven
National Policy Manager, Breast Cancer
Network Australia
Cc.
Department of Health and Ageing
Cancer Australia
Medicines Australia
Generic Medicines Industry Association of Australia
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare
Consumer Health Forum of Australia
Council of Australian Therapeutic Advisory Groups