WCMH – Federal legislation could help ease the prescription drug shortage around the country, and a Hilliard woman said her own experience showed her the importance of passing the bill.

About one year ago, Sharon Brown was told that the breast cancer drug she was receiving at The James Cancer Center was in short supply.

Due to the shortage, her usual drug Taxol was going to be replaced with a different drug called Taxotere.

“Taxol was supposed to be the drug of choice. And when it came down to it, there wasn’t enough,” said Brown.

Sharon had a severe reaction to the new medication and ended up in the emergency room.

“It was horrible. I still have the neuropathy in my feet. It’s getting better, but it’s going to take awhile,” Sharon said. “I just try not to think about it. It was horrible for two weeks.”

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is sponsoring new legislation, which recently passed in the U.S. Senate, that would allow pharmacists to repackage larger doses of medications and potentially ease the drug shortage. It would also require drug makers to report shortages to the Food and Drug Administration.

“Sometimes these shortages, we get notified the day before we’re not able to get a supply. So by early notification to the FDA, they can really work to get other sources and maybe get other manufacturers to ramp up their supplies,” said Ryan Forrey, Associate Director-Pharmacy and Infusion Services at OSU Wexner Medical Center.