Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Federal regulators say they've approved new suppliers for two crucial cancer drugs, easing critical shortages — at least for the time being — that have patients worried about missing life-saving treatments.

The Food and Drug Administration will temporarily allow importation of a replacement drug for Doxil, a drug for ovarian and other cancers that hasn't been available for new patients for months.

The agency also has approved another supplier for a preservative-free version of methotrexate, a crucial drug for children with a type of leukemia and for high-dose treatment of bone cancer.

The FDA increasingly has been able to prevent drug shortages by getting advance notice from manufacturers, but about 280 drugs currently are in short supply.