Propofol's role in modern medical care

  • Propofol contributes to saving the lives of millions of patients every year.
  • It is administered over 60 million times a year in more than 15,000 hospitals, clinics and other health care facilities across the United States.1 
  • This equals an average of 164,000 uses of Propofol during procedures every single day in the U.S.1
  • The use of Propofol is also required in many emergency situations.

 

According to the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Propofol has an excellent clinical and safety profile, and there are no comparable well-tolerated anesthetic drugs available.2 For that reason alone, manufacturers of Propofol must ensure and safeguard its supply to patients who critically rely on this medically necessary and well-tolerated drug.

 

As the drug most used for the induction of general anesthesia, Propofol is used in an enormous percentage of surgical cases.2 It must be accessible at all times and in all places, especially in emergencies, to prevent a major disruption to the health care system.

 

Because Propofol is formulated as a lipid emulsion, it requires specialized manufacturing equipment to produce it. All forms of Propofol manufactured by Fresenius Kabi are produced in Europe where the company has state of the art facilities.

 

1 Source Fresenius Kabi

2 Arnold J. Berry, MD, MPH (Vice President for Scientific Affairs of the American Society of Anesthesiologists). “Remarks at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Approach to Addressing Drug Shortage Public Workshop.” (Date: 9/26/2011). Text from: Capital Reporting Company. Available from: www.fda.gov; Accessed 9/17/2013.