The Reality of Drug Shortages — The Case of the Injectable Agent Propofol

Abstract

Over the years, physicians have come to rely on certain drugs as standards of care because of their unique clinical effects. Reduction in the supply of these drugs can have dramatic effects on medical practice, ultimately keeping patients from receiving the level of care they deserve and have come to expect. Drug shortages have therefore been a topic of some discussion within the medical profession.1,2 Recently, the supply of one drug — the sterile injectable drug propofol, a fast-onset, short-acting sedative–hypnotic agent used for the induction and maintenance of anesthesia or sedation — has become critically low.3 In 2009, . . .