Two chemo drugs, Cisplatin and Carboplatin, have been reported in short supply across in the Upper Midwest and across the nation more broadly in recent weeks.
Emily Liable, supervisor of outpatient oncology with Avera, said it's something the medical community is monitoring closely.
“Both of those medications continue to be followed as a drug shortage," Laible said. "There may be individual locations across the nation that sporadically may be unable to obtain those medications, but as a whole across the nation that particular shortage is starting to resolve or get a little better.”
Liable said it’s a front-of-mind matter for her, but patients are still getting their treatments.
"As far as the individual patients are concerned, they have not seen an impact on this shortage," Laible said. "We’ve been able to manage it behind the scenes, and we’ve been able to treat everyone that needs those drugs with those medications.”
While Liable said the situation is gradually improving, she asked for South Dakotans to try and stay informed on the status of their treatments.
“It is something that we take seriously, and if they have any specific concerns because of things they’ve seen in the media, things they’ve heard other locations being out of, please speak to your physician or pharmacist about it," Laible said. "This is unfortunately an ever-changing situation.”
Sanford Health also reported minimal impacts as a result of the shortage. At any given moment there are dozens of medications that are in a shortage, and Liable says health networks across the state work to manage medical options to make sure patients continue to receive care.