Clot-Busting Drug Must Be Rationed as Hospitals Run Short

A shortage of a widely used clot-busting drug is forcing hospitals around the country to ration their supplies.

The shortage of urokinase developed after the Food and Drug Administration halted shipments from the sole U.S. manufacturer because of fears of contamination.

Some hospitals say they are down to their last few doses.

“It’s causing a very, very hard time,” said Kenneth Lawrence, pharmacy manager of the 600-bed Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Urokinase dissolves blood clots in the lungs and legs, and also helps clear tubes used in kidney dialysis and chemotherapy. There are other clot-dissolving drugs, but some doctors say those medicines are less effective and more likely to cause bleeding or allergic reactions.

FDA officials have said they cannot estimate how long the drugs will be off the market.

Lawrence said the pharmacy at Beth Israel has about 50 vials left of urokinase, which is produced from kidney cells from dead babies. He said doctors are looking through the medical literature for alternative treatments.

In late November, the FDA ordered Chicago-based Abbott Laboratories to suspend distribution because of questions over whether some of the kidney cells from which the drug is manufactured were contaminated with the hepatitis B virus or mycoplasma, a microorganism that can cause disease.

The FDA said it found no contamination in the drug itself. The cells undergo heat treatment during manufacturing.