What Are Drug Shortages?
Have you ever tried to fill a prescription only to be turned away by your pharmacy because it’s out of stock? Drug shortages happen when there’s not enough supply of a drug to meet current or expected demand. Cancer drugs, painkillers, ADHD medications, and other common drugs are among those in short supply.
And the problem is getting worse. At the end of 2023, 323 drugs were in ongoing and active shortage – the highest number since recordkeeping began in 2001 – according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP).
Why Do Drug Shortages Happen?
A variety of things can cause a drug shortage:
- Manufacturing problems, such as outdated equipment or lack of workers
- Raw material shortages
- Voluntary recalls
- Natural disasters, like floods and hurricanes that damage production facilities
- High demand for the drug
- Supply chain disturbances
- Business decisions, such as when companies stop making a drug because it isn’t profitable
- Changing rules for how a drug is made
FDA Drug Shortage List
The FDA has a public database online where you can search for drugs to see their shortage status. The FDA lists only “medically necessary” drugs. It defines those as ones with the greatest impact on public health if they are in short supply. The FDA does not include drugs that are only briefly unavailable and those with shortages only in certain doses.
To find your drug, search by its main ingredient or generic name rather than the brand name. (For example, to find weight loss drug Wegovy, look for semaglutide.)
You can find drug shortage information in the database several ways:
- Current/resolved shortages. This includes both drugs that are in short supply and those that – within the past 6 months – have gained enough supply to no longer be in shortage (referred to as “resolved”).
- Discontinuations. These are drugs a manufacturer has stopped making. But another company may be making the drug, so it’s not necessarily in shortage.
- Therapeutic categories. Here you can find drugs by the medical reason they’re taken. Drugs for anesthesia or neurology are grouped together, for example. Drugs also may be listed in more than one category.
- New and updated. This is where you can find drugs recently added or with new status updates.
ASHP Drug Shortage List
Besides the FDA, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) also provides a searchable database. The ASHP uses a broader definition than the FDA and includes all drugs rather than only medically necessary ones.
How to Report a Drug Shortage
If you believe a drug should be listed, use the FDA's drug shortage submission page or click “Report a Drug Shortage” on the FDA’s Drug Shortages page. Follow the prompts to include information about the drug and your contact information.
To report a drug shortage to the ASHP, use this submission page or click on the blue box that says “Report a Shortage” on their Current Drug Shortages page. As with the FDA page, you will need to list drug information and contact information.
Common Drug Shortages
Current shortages include generic sterile injectable medications, such as cancer drugs or drugs hospitals keep in their emergency crash carts and procedure rooms. Pain and sedation medicines also are in short supply.
The top five classes of drugs in active shortage as of March 31, 2024, according to the ASHP, are:
- Antimicrobials, which includes antibiotics
- Central nervous system (CNS) drugs such as ADHD medications
- Chemotherapy medications
- Fluids and electrolytes
- Hormones such as oxytocin
Cancer drug shortages
In April 2024, the FDA listed 15 oncology (cancer) drugs in short supply. Cancer medications given by IV have had shortage problems for at least the past 15 years. One reason is that longstanding cancer medications are sold as generics, which aren’t as profitable to make and sometimes are discontinued by manufacturers. Another reason is that injectable medications, such as for cancer, are more likely to be closely monitored by the FDA for safety, potentially leading to delays if issues are found that need to be addressed.
How Drug Shortages Affect Health Care
When doctors and hospitals can’t get patients the drugs they need, health and safety could be at risk.
Drug shortages can result in:
- Rationing of care (in which only certain patients get the medications)
- Procedures being canceled
- Less safe or less effective alternative drugs being used
- More medication errors because pharmacists, doctors, or nurses may not be familiar with replacement drugs
Death can result from drug shortages. One example: A contaminated drug infusion caused the deaths of nine patients in Alabama in 2011. The infusion had been made by a pharmacy using an unfamiliar replacement ingredient because of a shortage.
Drug shortages also cost hospitals money. Buying drugs, including expensive alternatives, can cost at least $200 million every year, according to a 2010 study. Labor costs go up even more – $216 million annually – as workers must spend time searching for new drugs and training staff to use them.
What to Do if You’re Affected by a Drug Shortage
Some steps you can take if your drug isn’t available:
- Ask your pharmacy to check other locations in their chain.
- Call other nearby pharmacies and stores.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist if there is an alternative medication.
- See if a different dosage is available that you can make work with your prescription. For example, you may be able to double up a smaller dose to equal the larger dose you need. Or you may be able to get the drug in liquid form instead of as a tablet. (Check with your insurance company to make sure they’ll cover it.)
Takeaways
- Drug shortages in the U.S. are soaring and now are at levels higher than any year since recording began in 2001.
- Common drugs are affected, including those for cancer, pain relief, emergency medicine, and ADHD.
- Shortages of drugs can affect your health.
- You may need to aggressively search stores and pharmacies in your area to track down scarce supplies of your medication.
Drug Shortage FAQs
What is causing drug shortages?
Many things go into this. Generic drugs – which can be made after a drugmaker’s patent expires – are sold more cheaply, but also earn manufacturers much less, so sometimes they quit making them. Other causes include manufacturing troubles, shortages of raw materials, high demand, supply chain kinks, changes in regulations covering how drugs are made, and voluntary recalls.
Which drugs are in short supply?
More than 300 drugs are in shortage, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. These include chemo drugs, pain relievers, antibiotics, ADHD medications, injectable medications used by hospitals in emergencies or during procedures, and many others.
Where does the U.S. get most of its drugs?
About 80% of the raw materials needed to make U.S. drugs come from outside the U.S. – Europe, India, China, or other places.