A shortage of generic platinum chemotherapy drugs, cisplatin, and carboplatin in early 2023 did not result in increased mortality rates among patients with advanced cancer compared to the previous year. Prescription rates for the drugs only fell by less than three percent overall and 15.1 percent at the peak of the shortage. Alternative therapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors were used to mitigate the crisis, but they were not the first choice. The shortage drew attention to the ongoing challenge of generic drug shortages, prompting the recommendation of best practices for priority use and alternative medicines by major national oncology societies. The FDA resolved the cisplatin shortage in June 2024.
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Chemotherapy shortage did not increase cancer patient mortality
