US drug shortages hit all-time high, pharmacists warn

Medicine

By Daniella Genovese, Fox Business

Drug shortages in the United States are reaching an unprecedented level, and some of the drugs in short supply are life-saving chemotherapy drugs and emergency medications stored in hospitals, pharmacists warn.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Utah Drug Information Service reported that there were 323 active drug shortages in the first quarter of the year, representing the highest number of shortages since They’ve been tracking the data since 2001.

It surpassed the previous record of 320 shortages in 2014, the data showed.

While ASHP CEO Paul Abramowitz warned that all drug classes are vulnerable to drug shortages, he said “some of the most concerning shortages are in sterile injectable generic drugs, including prescription drugs.” cancer chemotherapy and emergency medications stored in hospital crash carts and procedure areas.”

This includes medications like oxytocin, Rho (D) immunoglobulin, standard chemotherapy, painkillers and sedatives, and ADHD medications.

Current “national shortages of therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder also remain a serious challenge for clinicians and patients,” Abramowitz added.

Short-term shortages are caused by demand exceeding supply, but “the most severe and persistent shortages are caused by economic factors that undermine investments in manufacturing capacity, manufacturing quality and supply chain reliability,” according to a separate ASHP report.

“These economic challenges are caused by extreme price competition among generic manufacturers,” ASHP added.

Abramowitz continued to emphasize that more work needs to be done at the federal level to address the root cause of the problem.

“ASHP will continue to collaborate regularly with policymakers as we guide efforts to draft and pass new laws to address drug shortages and will continue to vigorously advocate on behalf of our members for effective solutions,” did he declare.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a white paper last week recommending ways Congress can help address this problem.

“With today’s white paper, HHS is proposing solutions and stands ready to work with Congress to ensure that no patient faces the devastating consequences of a drug shortage or is left without the medications they need. he needs,” he said in a press release.