Fill rate data from Premier suggests that pressure on the pharmacy supply chain is leading to threats of shortages for certain chemotherapy drugs.

Cancer centers are closely monitoring supplies due to manufacturing disruptions, raw material pressures, and supplier exits. Some providers have been forced to consider spacing out doses and evaluating alternative treatments.

Fill rates below 80 percent are usually considered a “danger zone,” suggesting supply isn’t keeping up with demand. Cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug used to treat ovarian, testicular, and bladder cancers, has seen fill rates fall to 66% as of June. Ifosfamide, which is used to treat lymphoma, sarcoma, and lung cancer, had its fill rates fall all the way to 37%, and that number continues to decline.

Organizations are being forced to determine which patients most need the drugs and which can be most safely switched to alternative treatments. Additionally, spacing out doses or scheduling patients consecutively to reduce waste has to be considered when fill rates run lower.