Hundreds of drugs are in short supply around the U.S., pharmacists warnA growing number of drugs are in short supply around the U.S., according to pharmacists.
In the first three months of the year, there were 323 active medication shortages, surpassing the previous high of 320 shortages in 2014, according to a survey by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and Utah Drug Information Service. It also amounts to the most shortages since the trade group started keeping track in 2001.
"All drug classes are vulnerable to shortages. Some of the most worrying shortages involve generic sterile injectable medications, including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency medications stored in hospital crash carts and procedural areas," ASHP said in a statement.
"Most of the drugs in short supply are generic, older products, and about half are injectable drugs that are hard to make," Erin Fox, associate chief pharmacy officer, University of Utah Health, told CBS MoneyWatch. "Because the FDA says all generics are equal, the only way to compete is on price," creating a race to the bottom that results in companies either halting production of the drugs or taking cost-saving shortcuts in quality, Fox said.
"The Biden-Harris Administration remains focused on strengthening the resilience of critical supply chains, including for medical products like pharmaceuticals," the White House told CBS MoneyWatch on Friday. The effort to "ensure Americans can access the medicine they need when they need it," with steps including investing $35 million in domestic production of materials needed to produce sterile injectable medicines................
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