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You’re not alone.


The Physicians Benevolent Fund (PBF) has been assisting Texas physicians and their families for more than 40 years. Some have become infirm, others have had an accident, some have outlived their financial means. If you have depleted your resources, you may qualify for PBF assistance.


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We know it’s hard to ask for help, but you don’t have to go it alone. Contact TMA at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1602, or chris.johnson@texmed.org.


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cording to FDA. The agency reports the 2010 drug shortage involved a greater percentage of sterile injectables — 77 percent — than in past years. Critical drugs involved include succinylcholine, naloxone, furosemide, and emergency syringes. Reasons for the 2010 sterile inject-


able shortage FDA cited include product quality problems, manufacturing discon- tinuations, delays and capacity issues, lack of raw materials, loss of manufac- turing sites, component shortages, and increase in demand because of another drug shortage. ASA survey respondents reported


about half of patients experienced a less-than-optimal outcome as a result of the drug shortage, such as postoperative nausea and vomiting, and about half of patients experienced longer operating room or recovery times. Dr. Butler says drug shortages impact


clinical practice, too. ASA survey respon- dents reported drug shortages forced them to use alternative drugs, change procedures in some way, and postpone or cancel cases. Hospitals have responded to the shortages in various ways, he says. “Some hospitals try to stockpile some


critical use or high-volume medications, but there can be restrictions placed on order allocation by suppliers. Frequently, pharmacies have been restricting the use of certain medications in short sup- ply or removing them from availability and only releasing them if requested by physicians for a critical need.” Cancer drugs are part of the shortage,


You’re not alone.


The Physicians Benevolent Fund assists Texas physicians and their families when infirmity or accidents deplete financial resources. We know it’s hard to ask for help, but you don’t have to go it alone. Contact TMA at (800) 880- 1300, ext. 1602, or chris.johnson@texmed.org for more information.


as well. Cytarabine is in shortage and is the only known drug to effectively treat acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a fast-progressing cancer that typically takes a patient’s life within three months if not treated quickly and properly. In the United States, 10,000 cases of AML are diagnosed annually. The cytarabine shortage concerns


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Hagop Kantarjian, MD, chair of the De- partment of Leukemia at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. A patient’s AML survival rate is typically 40 percent to 50 percent with the drug. Without cytarabine, how- ever, the survival rate is zero, and no substitute drug exists for it.


You’re not alone. The Physicians Benevolent Fund assists Texas physicians and their families when infirmity or acci- dents deplete financial resources. We know it’s hard to ask for help, but you don’t have to go it alone. Contact TMA at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1602, or chris.johnson@texmed.org for more information.


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