Sarin antidote stockpiles, supply problems and extension of expired drugs

An article in the Wall Street Journal (September 13, 2013) describes supply problems for antidotes for Sarin due to manufacturing issues, that result in less than the stated dosage, in prefilled syringes made by Pfizer. The impact is possible erroneous doses in about 0.7% of the volume. Though the military has over 2.8 million doses in inventory, worries of stockouts have caused the Food and Drug Administration to grant extensions to use existing doses beyond their four year life span. Is the use of possibly expired but full dosages a reasonable option to less than the correct doses in current products ? How should stockpiles be shared between the military and civilian populations in an emergency ? How should manufacturer manufacturing be monitored to ensure quality and how should penalties be charged to sole suppliers of such critical products ?

About aviyer2010

Professor
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1 Response to Sarin antidote stockpiles, supply problems and extension of expired drugs

  1. Yuntao Guo says:

    Although it is impossible to quantify the potential value of loss of life, in this case, it might be quantified to serve the purpose of cost-benefit study. Extending the expiration date might seems to be a right call for a short term, it is not a reliable plan for both military and civilian use.
    In addition, it is critical to monitor the quality of the critical products and a tighter quality control method should be implemented.

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