The drug crisis' lesson

BEHIND THE LACK OF PROTAMINE SULFATE, a life-saving drug used in heart operations, lies a problematic link between pharmaceutical firms and the government's supervision of the industry.

This drug's short supply has delayed and even halted operations in many hospitals nationwide over the past several months. Intervention by the State Food and Drug Administration has caused production to resume and the supply will soon meet hospitals' needs.

But the root cause of the crisis has not yet been addressed. An investigation has found that the drug's price has remained unchanged for many years and it is hardly profitable for drugmakers to produce it. Of the three manufacturers with the license to make it, only one still is.