In Midst Of Lidocaine Shortage, Bigger Health Systems Stockpiling While Primary Care Providers Are Hit Hard
But even hospitals are postponing surgeries due to the shortage. “Drug shortages are impacting patient health,” said Virginia Herold, executive officer of the California State Board of Pharmacy.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Lidocaine Shortage Seems To Be Hitting Family Medicine Hardest
Such is the nature of an ongoing lidocaine shortage, one of 106 current drug shortages listed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Drug shortages, especially those associated with injection opioid painkillers, have been a continuous problem for medical providers at all levels this year. A survey of San Diego County health providers found that, in general, the lidocaine shortage seems to be hitting independent practitioners in primary care the hardest. The largest systems seem to be doing better and stockpiling supply. Kaiser San Diego, for example, reported having a four- to 10-week supply of the drug on hand, depending on dosage strength. Neither Kaiser, Scripps Health nor Palomar Health reported any procedure cancellations due to shortages of the drug also known as Xylocaine. (Sisson, 8/7)