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MISSOULA- Unprecedented drug shortages are altering or delaying the treatment of everything from accident victims to heart attack and cancer patients. We checked in with St. Patrick Hospital Pharmacy Clinic Director Danielle Sebastian to see how this nationwide problem is affecting Western Montana.

"We are struggling with a record drug shortage this year and it's forcing us to look for alternative therapies, some that may or may not be as effective, and they're usually more costly so it's causing a problem for us," Sebastian told us.

"About 180 drugs have been on a shortage this year, mostly chemo agents or agents used for cancer and also medications we use in the hospital for surgery and for emergency medicine and for patients getting intravenous feedings. The reason for the shortages varies from drug to drug, but it appears most often it's a result of the way the drugs are manufactured or regulated," Sebastian explained.

"We've seen in advance what shortages are coming down the line and we've adjusted protocol to preserve drugs used for cases where there isn't a suitable alternative to use," commented Dr. Alan Thomas with Montana Cancer Specialists.

"There can be situations in the future where patient care could be impacted. We have done much better locally in terms of management and we're weathering the storm, but we don't know what the future could hold," he concluded.

The bottom line is that the shortages involve intravenous drugs more than pills and the situation probably won't be resolved soon. It is a problem that hospitals and health care providers will have to continue to work with and monitor.