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Nitroglycerine shortage is over Posted 11-9-98 A temporary shortage of a common type of nitroglycerine tablet is over, according to the drug’s manufacturer. Hurricane Georges, which hit Puerto Rico Sept. 21, interrupted manufacturing cycles for eight days at two Parke-Davis facilities on the island. The plants produce 0.3 mg Nitrostat nitroglycerin tablets, said Christy Davis, a spokesperson for Warner-Lambert in Morris Plains, N.J., the manufacturer’s parent company. The interruption resulted in spot shortages of the 0.3 mg dose of the drug around the United States until Oct. 30, when Parke-Davis sent major shipments to suppliers, Davis said. Only about 3 percent of nitroglycerine users take the 0.3 mg doses of the medicine. Most take the higher 0.6 or 0.4 mg doses, Davis said. The shortage became a problem for the Walgreens pharmacy chain, which operates in 35 states, including Texas, in the last few days before the drug was restocked, said Yvette Venable, a company spokesperson. "The problem was averted before it became too much of a crisis," she said. During the shortage, Parke-Davis had emergency reserves of Nitrostat available to send via overnight delivery to suppliers, Davis said. In addition, patients were speaking with their physicians and pharmacists about temporarily changing prescriptions to 0.4 mg doses, she said. In some cases insurance companies agreed to pay for a nitroglycerine spray during the shortage, Venable said. Related Sites |
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