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Why America's drug shortages are lasting longer
The FDA says early-warning rules cut new shortages, but hospital pharmacists tracked 323 active gaps in 2024, the most on record.
- The Food and Drug Administration reported 15 new drug shortages in 2024, the lowest total in a decade, yet the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists tracked 323 active shortages at the year's peak, revealing persistent supply gaps.
- Centralized manufacturing and reliance on low-profit generics drive stubborn gaps; a single factory failure like the 2024 flooding at a Baxter plant in Marion, North Carolina can trigger national supply chain disruptions.
- About 60% of active drug ingredients originate in India, China, or the European Union, leaving the United States vulnerable to foreign tensions while demand-driven shortages for ADHD stimulants have persisted since 2022.
- The FDA utilized flexibility 107 times in 2024 to mitigate gaps, yet the Government Accountability Office keeps oversight on its High-Risk List, citing insufficient coordination between health agencies.
- As shortages often last more than two years, states like Hawaii are pursuing independent solutions to import foreign-approved drugs while lawmakers push for increased supply chain transparency.
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14 Articles
14 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left1Leaning Right1Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution84% Center
Bias Distribution
- 84% of the sources are Center
84% Center
C 84%
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