A widespread shortage of prescription drugs is hampering the treatment of patients who have cancer, severe infections and other serious illnesses. While some Republican politicians have railed against the imaginary threat of rationing under health care reform, Congress has done nothing to alleviate the all-too-real rationing of lifesaving drugs caused by this crisis.

The Food and Drug Administration says that some 180 medically important drugs have been in short supply, many of which are older, cheaper generic drugs administered by injection that have to be kept sterile from contamination.

A survey of 820 hospitals in June by the American Hospital Association found that almost all of them had experienced a shortage of at least one drug in the previous six months and that nearly half had experienced shortages of 21 or more drugs. As a result, more than 80 percent of the hospitals delayed needed treatments, almost 70 percent gave patients a less effective drug, and almost 80 percent rationed or restricted access to drugs.

Although there is limited data on how many patients have been harmed, a survey of 1,800 health care practitioners last year by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices found that a third of the physicians and a fifth of the pharmacists knew of adverse patient outcomes because of shortages, including some deaths from microbes resistant to the backup drugs. Cancer patients receiving less effective drugs may well face increased risks in the future.