Shortage of Nab-paclitaxel in Japan and around the World: Issues in Global Information Sharing

There was a global shortage of nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane^Ⓡ), a major antineoplastic agent, for a long period (from October 2021 to June 2022) because of manufacturing problems. Japan was one of the first affected countries by the depletion, and the medical institutes started to save the use of the drug in August 2021; numerous patients with gastric, breast, and lung cancer who potentially could receive benefits failed to be treated with the antineoplastic agent; thus, they opted for alternative treatments. Meanwhile, the hospitals in the United States and some countries continued to consume nab-paclitaxel at a regular pace as usual and then the worldwide depletion occurred in October 2021. Early communications about the drug shortage between authorities worldwide might have soothed the depletion; effective platforms for global information sharing would be necessary in order to secure the access to anticancer agents.