KTIV News 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and SportsCancer drug shortage worries patients

A cancer drug shortage is impacting patients across the country. The drug that treats a form of childhood leukemia is running out. Actually, there's only a two-week nationwide supply left.

Pharmacists are scrambling to find the drug, and hearing from anxious parents concerned about the growing shortage. "Obviously, it's very frustrating being a parent and not being able to get a hold of the medication that they know they need to be on," said Pharmacist James Wiernas. They have plenty of the Methotrexate tablets, but it's the injectable form of the inexpensive drug that's used to treat a common and curable childhood cancer called Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. "A month or two we've been completely out and we'll get some and when we do, more often than not, it goes off our shelves pretty quickly," said Wiernas.

One of the nation's largest suppliers of the drug suspended operations at the plant that makes it back in November. Now, the supply of it may run out within two weeks. "This is not something that you can start and stop whenever you casually want," said Wiernas. Parents of kids with A-L-L are scared and furious. "I can only hope that supplies last. And it's not just for my son it's for the next family that walks through the doors of this hospital also," said Kevin McGuire. The supply is becoming so tight that pharmacists even took a call from a doctor looking for the drug. "It's definitely coming to a head now," said Wiernas.

Nearly 3,600 children and teenagers are diagnosed with A-L-L each year. Doctors say about 90% can be cured. The Food and Drug Administration and others are urging companies to increase production of the drug, but no one can force them.