Dive Brief:
- The FDA has launched a mobile app which supplies information about drug shortages, resolved shortages and discontinuations of drug products.
- The underlying impetus is concern about the negative impact that drug shortages can have on patient care.
- The app can be used to search for a drug and find out its status and also to report a drug shortage.
Dive Insight:
The introduction of a mobile app to update healthcare practitioners and other stakeholders on the status of drugs will ultimately benefit patients. That's because when there are shortages, physicians will sometimes rely on an alternate drug that isn't as effective or safe for treating certain conditions in certain patients.
Because the app allows the provider to gain real-time insight into a drug shortage situation, including resolution of the shortage, that provider is able to make better informed decisions. The app can be downloaded both via iTunes and Google Play Store.