August 5, 2026
FROM SEN. GILLIBRAND: Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rick Scott (R-FL), ranking member and chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, pressed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on what actions it is taking to alleviate the shortage of critical cancer medications. “We must do everything we can to make sure no cancer patient goes without life-saving chemotherapy drugs,” said Senator Gillibrand. “However, addressing this crisis cannot come at the expense of patient safety or a secure supply chain. Senator Scott and I are pressing the FDA to develop a plan to fix the drug shortage while also ensuring that imported drugs are up to American regulatory standards.”
“When older Americans are battling cancer, a delay or shortage in treatment availability is a matter of life and death,” said Senator Scott. “I’m grateful for President Trump and his administration’s work to alleviate the supply strain on critical cancer-fighting medications, and I am committed to partnering with them to put safety and availability first. I am proud to join Ranking Member Gillibrand to ensure our seniors receive the best, on-time, treatment in their fight against this awful disease.”
Currently, the United States is experiencing a national shortage of essential generic chemotherapy drugs, including ifosfamide, carboplatin, cisplatin, and oxaliplatin. According to the FDA, the shortages are the result of manufacturing problems, shipping delays, and decisions by some companies to stop producing the medications. If the drug shortage persists, doctors may be forced to ration their patients’ medications or even prioritize certain patients over others.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reported that FDA is considering temporarily allowing the importation of medications from overseas manufacturers that do not typically supply American markets to help remedy the shortage. To ensure patient safety, Gillibrand and Scott requested a briefing from FDA to answer questions about how these imported drugs will be evaluated for quality, what foreign manufacturers are being considered, and what steps FDA is taking to prepare for future drug shortages.
