America’s prescription drug shortages addressed under Collins bill

Bipartisan legislation recently introduced by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) to tackle prescription drug supply shortages would direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to extend the shelf life of certain essential drugs in scarce supply.

“At a time when our healthcare system is overburdened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the last thing doctors, nurses and patients should have to worry about is whether there will be an adequate supply of the medications they need,” Sen. Collins said on Jan. 20. “To help ensure all patients have access to lifesaving medications, our bipartisan legislation would update FDA guidance in order to safely extend the shelf life of essential drugs.”

The Drug Shortages Shelf Life Extension Act, S. 3493, which Sen. Collins cosponsored on Jan. 12 with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), also would require the FDA to submit a report to both the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on labeling changes regarding product expiration dates that the federal government requests of manufacturers, according to a bill summary provided by the senators. The HELP Committee is now considering S. 3493.

“The federal government must work to ensure that patients who rely on life-sustaining medications for the treatment of infections, cancer, autoimmune conditions, and for basic medical procedure necessities, like saline or epinephrine, will always have an adequate supply of the prescription drugs they need,” said Sen. Cardin.