Shortage of injectable chloroprocaine

The American Society for Health-System Pharmacists reports a shortage of injectable chloroprocaine. This drug is used by doctors and dentists to block the ability of the nerves to notify you of the pain from repairing teeth, dental surgery, childbirth, repairing small and large bone joints, etc. This latter use had been expanded to direct injection of the drug into shoulder and knee joints until the FDA published a safety warning in February 2010 to the effect that the drug dissolves the cartilage in the joint. This particularly seems to be true of shoulder joints, and has sometimes resulted in complete replacement of the joint.