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Previous Volume 354:532-533 February 2, 2006 Number 5 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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To the Editor: The recent three-month nationwide shortage of intravenous formulations of vitamin B₁ (thiamine) highlights the fact that only one company, American Pharmaceutical Partners, is manufacturing this lifesaving drug.¹ This shortage was the second in the past few years, and the company has not provided a reason for the shortages. The retail cost of parenteral thiamine can be as low as 89 cents for 100 mg with collective purchases, so it is no wonder there was a shortage of this medication when blockbuster drugs hold more commercial promise.

Parenteral thiamine is used to treat thiamine-deficiency disorders, such as Wernicke's . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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