Drug shortage? How the coronavirus may impact local pharmacies

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and masks are selling out at stores across the country and in Cincinnati. However, there are now concerns your medications could be next. Last week, the Food and Drug Administration reported the first drug shortage due to the coronavirus but didn’t reveal the name of the drug. FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn told the Senate Health and Education Committee Tuesday that the FDA is working with the manufacturer to resolve the issue. It’s estimated that 80% of active pharmaceutical ingredients are made in China. At the moment, shortages aren’t affecting stock at pharmacies in the U.S. “We’re not too concerned about them running out, but we do have backups in place as well,” said pharmacist Tom Denier. Denier has been a pharmacist for 40 years, the last seven at Tischbein Pharmacy. He says supplies are good, but they are fielding calls from people asking to get larger amounts of medication. "They’re asking for a 90-day [supply]. Sometimes that will work; sometimes it won’t because they are limited by what the insurance will allow them to get. If insurance will only allow them a 30-day supply, that’s all they can get," he said. If there are drug shortages, Deiner says they’ll figure it out. They’ve had to make due before in the past after hurricanes hit Puerto Rico. “The only lab that made this in the world was in Puerto Rico. So, for quite some time, we were unable to get the generic for Protonix, which is pantoprazole, so it’s hit and miss. You just don’t know. You try and deal with it,” said Deiner. The FDA has a list of about 150 drugs that could face potential supply-chain disruptions.