2023 chemotherapy shortage did not affect mortality rates: 6 study notes

Researchers from University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center, both based in Philadelphia, analyzed data from 11,797 patients who began treatment of advanced solid cancers, of which platinum chemotherapy is the first line of therapy, during the drug shortage or within one year prior to the shortage.

Here are six takeaways from the study:

1. The cisplatin shortage began in February 2023 and the carboplatin shortage began in April 2023. The drugs have been approved for use against multiple cancers for more than 30 years, according to a Dec. 13 news release from Penn Medicine.
2. There was a 2.7% decrease in platinum chemotherapy use between February 2023 and January 2024. In June 2023, the peak of the shortage, platinum chemotherapy use dropped by 15.1%.
3. Based on the rates observed in the study, researchers estimated about 1,000 U.S. patients were affected by the shortage.
4. Researchers found no difference in mortality rates when comparing the study period to the previous year, with a median follow-up time of 7.6 months after patients began treatment.
5. While researchers said they believe the study results reflect the effective use of alternative medications, the study did not investigate any financial burden or adverse side effects experienced by patients resulting from those alternative therapies.
6. A different study recently found that the six-month shortage of cisplatin resulted in a 16% total cost increase due to the use of alternative therapies.