The U.S. is currently facing a shortage of vincristine, a critical standard treatment for many childhood cancers. Vincristine is a sterile generic injectable that has been approved to treat (and cure) children with cancer for over 5 decades. Vincristine is utilized by nearly every child with cancer and is a critical component of treatment regimens for children with leukemias, lymphoma, brain tumors, bone tumors, neuroblastoma, Wilms tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma. This shortage represents a true crisis, as there is no alternative or recommended substitution for vincristine.
If you are being directly and currently impacted by the shortage, please work with your care team and contact the FDA at drugshortages@fda.hhs.gov.
Read the latest update and plan of action from Dr. Peter Adamson, Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group.
