Supplies of Critical Child Leukemia Drug Are Almost Gone

Methotrexate, a drug used to treat a blood cancer that strikes children between the ages of 2 and 5, have nearly run out, The New York Times reports. The disease, called acute lymphoblastic leukemia, is a cancer of white blood cells that begin in the bone marrow and spread to other areas of the body, most commonly the spine and brain. Methrotrexate is injected in large quantities directly in the spinal fluid, blocking the cancer's spread. (The drug is also used in the treatment of non-life-threatening illnesses like arthritis and psoriasis.) The largest supplier of the drug, Ben Venue Laboratories in Bedford, Ohio, suspended operations out of quality concerns. Four other manufacturers in the U.S. are trying to ramp up production of the drug, but an F.D.A. spokesperson says it's not coming nearly fast enough:       Read Full