A port strike could delay critical medicines: It could be ‘devastating,’ doctors say
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Patients’ access to critical medicines could be threatened if there are prolonged strikes at ports on the East and Gulf coasts, medical experts warn.
The reality of the situation, according to an emergency room physician based in New York City, Dr. Robert Glatter, “that the impending strike could affect the importation of medical supplies and essential life-saving drugs that US hospitals and surgical centers rely on to care for their patients.”
It could also limit the amount of life-saving drugs and surgical supplies the US exports, Glatter said.
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International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA)which negotiates on behalf of 45,000 maritime workers at thirty-two US ports, and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX), which represents port employers, remain at odds over the new contract wages.
The ILA has warned that its members are prepared to stop working if they don’t have a new contract by the October 1 deadline, putting various sectors in a critical situation as the affected ports from Maine to Texas together manage nearly half of the country’s marine areas. imported goods.
Aerial view of containers and cargo ships at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, California. (Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images / Getty Images)
In the pharmaceutical industry, more than 91% of containerized imports and 69% of US pharmaceutical product exports are handled by affected ports, according to Everstream Analytics.
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More than one in three containers shipped from the US containing life-saving drugs originate from the Port of Norfolk in Virginia, while nearly 30 percent of imported products enter the US at the Port of Charleston in South Carolina, the company noted.
Dr. Pat Basu, managing partner at Varsity Healthcare Partners, told FOX Business that the strike could have a “devastating” impact on access to medicines because “most medicines” are handled through ports.
The strike comes at a time when many healthcare providers have switched “at the right time” to save money, according to Basu. This means they carry less medicine on hand.
A container ship docked at the Port of Miami in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
“Although manufacturers and wholesale distributors may carry a month or more of certain medicines, as you get closer to the point of contact with the patient, ie suppliers and retail pharmacies, they carry a very limited supply, which can be five to seven days in most cases,” said Basu.
To make matters worse, certain drugs or geographic regions already have limited access, and some drugs with a short shelf life may be disproportionately affected. Some larger organizations may have more inventory, which can limit access for others, Basu said.
Patients who may be concerned about their pharmacies running out of medication can start monitoring their supplies and order a 90-day supply, if possible, to minimize any potential side effects, Thomas said.
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Another possibility is that the patient may be able to talk to his doctor about starting another medication. However, that may not always be an option.
Dr. Tiffany Moon, associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, warned that “there are a lot of life-saving medications that patients need without stopping or stopping.”
The pharmacy offers a view through the glass window of a fully automated pharmacy. (Photo by Andreas Arnold/photo alliance via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Chief among them would be “chemotherapy, where people use different types of drugs, a chemotherapeutic cocktail, for different types of cancer,” Moon said. “If they fall into their regime it can throw off this whole chemo cycle.”
It would be “very bad” if someone was forced to stop taking oral oncology drugs, for example, because “the cancer can flare up … and it can go out of remission,” Thomas added.
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Moon said patients with type 1 diabetes who cannot get insulin, for example, “can go into a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be life-threatening.”
Photo of pharmacy drugs at Walgreens. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Moon also noted how important anti-rejection drugs are. Patients “need these contraceptives so that their bodies do not reject the organ they receive,” she said.
Eric Revell of FOX Business contributed to this report.
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