Shortage of injectable pentostatin

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists reports a shortage of injectable pentostatin. This is yet another drug shortage due to the voluntary closure of Ben Venue Labs, which manufactured this and other products under contract for Bedford Laboratories. This drug is used for treatment of a particular type of cancer known as hairy cell leukemia for the hair-like projections on the abnormal cells. In this type of leukemia, too many of the cells in the bone marrow develop into lymphocytes, at the expense of other types of blood cells. Fortunately this cancer is rare and there are treatment options, summarized here by the Hairy Cell Leukemia Research Foundation.