Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-ID) today announced (https://www.finance.senate.gov/chairmans-news/wyden-crapo-release-plan-to-prevent-and-mitigate-generic-drug-shortages) their commitment to working on bipartisan healthcare legislation to prevent and mitigate shortages of critical generic drugs used by patients and providers in the United States. In a white paper released today, Wyden and Crapo outlined concerns raised by experts at a hearing (https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/drug-shortages-examining-supply-challenges-impacts-and-policy-solutions-from-a-federal-health-program-perspective) held in the Finance Committee on December 5, 2023, as well as areas of interest and ideas the Committee is exploring to address the factors contributing to shortages through modifications to the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

ONS Perspective

The ongoing generic drug shortages are challenging healthcare professionals in every setting and directly affecting patient care quality and outcomes (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/medical-shortages-are-affecting-patient-safety). Oncology nurses, as frontline care providers, have a unique view of the direct impact on patients and their families, such as treatment delays and the necessity of substituting potentially less-effective medications. On the heels of the U.S. House of Representatives investigation (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/house-committee-launches-investigation-into-nationwide-shortages-of-medications-including) launched in late February, Congress’s upper chamber is building legislation to create solutions.

Ensuring patients have access to optimal cancer treatments is an ONS health policy priority (https://www.ons.org/make-difference/ons-center-advocacy-and-health-policy/health-policy-priorities-and-agenda), and the Society is actively contacting members of the Senate Finance Committee to share insights and stories from nurses who are confronting the shortages firsthand. Lend your voice to our efforts (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/get-involved-in-onss-health-policy-advocacy) and help ONS highlight the urgency of the current drug shortages and contribute to shaping effective solutions.

Advocacy Resources

• FDA Advisers Back CAR-T Therapies in Blood Cancer, Despite Safety Concerns (https://www.statnews.com/2024/03/15/fda-panels-car-t-blood-cancer/)
• Improving Cancer Care Through Better Electronic Health Records: Voluntary Commitments and Call to Action (https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2024/03/05/improving-cancer-care-through-better-electronic-health-records-voluntary-commitments-and-call-to-action/)
• Major Cyber Attacks 'Completely Stopped' System at Health Center: Cancer Center CEO (https://www.msnbc.com/chris-jansing-reports/watch/major-cyber-attacks-completely-stopped-system-at-health-center-cancer-center-ceo-206537285740)
• Sterilizer Plants Release a Cancer-Causing Gas. The Biden Administration Will Make Them Cut Those Emissions by 90 Percent (https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4530474-sterilizer-plants-release-a-cancer-causing-gas-the-biden-administration-will-make-them-cut-those-emissions-by-90-percent/#:~:text=But%20the%20agency%20released%20a,by%20more%20than%2090%20percent.)
• What to Know About Rising Rates of Colorectal Cancer Among Young People (https://www.axios.com/2024/03/19/cancer-colorectal-death-people-under-50)

Oncology Nursing Resources

• ONS Voice article: As Colorectal Cancer Incidence Increases in Younger Patients, USPSTF Issues New Screening Guidelines. Here’s How Nurses Can Encourage Uptake (https://voice.ons.org/news-and-views/as-colorectal-cancer-incidence-increases-in-younger-patients-uspstf-issues-new)
• Oncology Nursing Podcast Episode 293: Access to Care: How to Manage Moral Dilemmas and Advocate for Your Patients (https://www.ons.org/podcasts/episode-293-access-care-how-manage-moral-dilemmas-and-advocate-your-patients)
• Oncology Nursing Podcast Episode 126: Oncology Clinical Trials and Drug Development (https://www.ons.org/podcasts/episode-126-oncology-clinical-trials-and-drug-development)