TRENTON, NJ -- 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.