Surging Demand for Menopause Patches Prompts FDA Action
Prescription volumes for estrogen patches rose from about 594,000 to 1.6 million as patients and doctors pressed the FDA to address supply gaps.
- On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration said it is working with six manufacturers to increase estradiol patch production, acknowledging reports that patients are struggling to access the medication due to surging demand.
- Prescription demand surged from about 594,000 in June 2024 to 1.6 million by May 2026 after the FDA removed a 26-year-old "black box warning" that highlighted risks including cardiovascular disease and breast cancer.
- Los Angeles mother Diane Harris struggled to refill her prescription, forcing her to reduce usage; manufacturers including Sandoz, Viatris, Noven, and Zydus face supply constraints documented by pharmacists.
- The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists lists more than a dozen estradiol patch products with supply issues, forcing some patients to obtain 30-day supplies instead of their usual 90-day prescriptions.
- While the FDA maintains estradiol patches remain available, Dr. Suzanne Hackenmiller and others are petitioning the agency to formally recognize a shortage, arguing the official database fails to reflect pharmacy-level difficulties.
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Women in several cities in the country report difficulties in getting their oestradiol patches for menopause, after the lawsuit went off after a change in the FDA in November 2025.The agency insists that there is no official shortage, although it admits that the availability of certain brands varies according to the pharmacy.What changed in November 2025The FDA removed the box warning that alerted about cardiovascular risks, breast cancer and po…
Estrogen patch shortage prompts doctors, lawmakers to seek FDA action as women struggle to find treatment
Some patients and doctors are calling on the FDA to formally recognize a shortage of the medications, saying the agency's shortage database does not reflect problems they are seeing at pharmacies.
FDA working to boost estrogen patch supply
The U.S. health regulator said on Thursday it is working with all six manufacturers to increase the supply of estradiol transdermal patches, used to treat menopause symptoms, after reports of patients having difficulty in readily accessing them.
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