At least 323 drugs are still in short supply, according to the pharmacy industry group.
Drug shortages are at an all-time high in the United States, and pharmacists are caveat.
There were 323 drug shortages in the first three months of 2024, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Utah Drug Information Service. Previously, The record high was a shortage of 320 items. In 2014.
The ASHP began tracking shortages in 2001.
“Medicines of all types are susceptible to shortages,” ASHP CEO Dr. Paul Abramowitz said in a statement. “Some of the most concerning shortages include generic sterile injectable drugs, such as cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency medications, which are stored in hospital emergency carts and treatment areas.”
Last year, the American Cancer Society released the following report: caveat Chemotherapy drugs have returned to the list of top five drugs affected by shortages, it said, warning that this could have a devastating impact on patients.
Some hospitals and clinics reported completely running out of drugs. Doctors are being forced to either ration cancer drugs or triage which patients receive them first.
In addition, Abramowitz said there continues to be a national shortage of drugs to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which remains a “problem for clinicians and patients.”
This includes Adderall, a prescription drug for ADHD. The shortage initially started in late 2022 due to delays from manufacturers. As of early 2024, the shortage will be demand-driven, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“FDA leverages a variety of tools during shortages to assist manufacturers in increasing supply, including expediting supplement reviews and adding additional manufacturing capacity to add additional supplies of active ingredients.” FDA officials said in a statement to ABC News earlier this year. “Unfortunately, certain actions are considered commercially sensitive information and cannot be shared.”
According to a March 2023 Senate Homeland Security Committee report, shortages of some medical supplies have been an ongoing problem in the United States for more than a decade, and more recently due to the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). The pandemic has made things worse. According to the report, treatment is delayed, substituted, or in some cases not received at all.
At a House Ways and Means Committee hearing earlier this year, expert witnesses (practitioners, researchers, pharmaceutical executives) said drug shortages are economically damaging because patients may turn to more expensive alternatives. He said there is a possibility of receiving it.
ASHP said it is working with the federal government to address the shortage and advise security agencies. step The industry group believes the federal government can help ease the shortage, including by calling on Congress to be more transparent about supply chain issues and promote diversity in supply chains.
However, ASHP Concerns Regarding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ proposal to impose fines on hospitals that lack the resources to stockpile medical supplies.
“Much work remains to be done at the federal level to address the root causes of drug shortages,” Abramowitz said. “ASHP guides efforts to draft and pass new legislation to address drug shortages and engages regularly with policymakers as we continue to advocate strongly on behalf of our member countries for effective solutions.” I will continue to do so.”
ABC News’ Kristina Avovian and Yuri Benajaud contributed to this report.
