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NEW YORK, Mar 27 (Reuters Health) - A shortage of the anesthetic fentanyl--commonly used to treat labor pains--is resolved, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA has moved the anesthetic to its list of "resolved drug shortages."
Despite the change of status, some anesthesiologists say fentanyl, commonly used for labor pain, is still hard to come by, according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
"All I can tell you is that to a number of our anesthesiologists, this issue is not resolved because they're still having to make adjustments in (operating room) schedules or rationing of fentanyl," Philip Weintraub, an ASA spokesman, told Reuters Health.
The ASA earlier this month called on federal regulators and the pharmaceutical industry to take action to end critical shortages of fentanyl as well as other drugs used to sedate patient. It is currently arranging a meeting of government and industry officials to address the issue for early April.
The FDA's Web site, which lists three manufacturers of fentanyl, says all of them are "able to meet basic supply demands." It urges individuals to report problems obtaining the product to FDA drug information staff.
Anesthesiologists responding to an ASA poll also reported dwindling supplies of at least two muscle relaxants, succinylcholine and rapacuronium bromide.
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