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FDA Data Shows That 125 Drugs Are Currently in Short Supply
FDA and pharmaceutical industry data show that drug shortages are cropping up for common classes of drugs, including antibiotics and psychotropics.
On October 12, the FDA reported a shortage of amphetamine aspartate, more commonly known as Adderall. This was one of seven shortages reported by the FDA since the beginning of the month, and it joins a list of 125 drugs currently in shortage in the United States.
The shortage of Adderall is due in part to manufacturing difficulties. According to an article by Bloomberg, suppliers of Adderall are having difficulty managing demand, blaming “packing capacity constraints” and staffing issues.
Retail pharmacies have already noticed the problems, and in a survey, 64% of pharmacists said they were struggling to get their hands on Adderall.
At the same time, the number of prescriptions for Adderall has never been higher. During the pandemic, the number of patients with an Adderall prescription grew by more than 10.4% in just over a year.
Teva, the largest supplier of Adderall to the United States, claims that manufacturing issues have created delays leading to a limited drug supply. In August, Teva reported that they were expecting delays for the next 2–3 months after a packaging line labor shortage. But Adderall is not the only drug Teva is struggling to supply.
According to data from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, pharmaceutical manufacturers Teva, Sandoz, and Hikma Pharmaceuticals are reporting shortages of the common antibiotic, amoxicillin, used to treat infections in children. The FDA has not yet added amoxicillin to its shortage list because at least one supplier has been able to provide for market demand.
Amoxicillin comes in capsule, tablet, chewable, and suspension forms; most current shortages affect the antibiotic's suspension-in-liquid form. Its most common use is for children with respiratory and ear infections.
An FDA spokesperson writing to a Florida news outlet commented on the shortages, saying: "The FDA is aware of some intermittent supply interruptions of amoxicillin products in the US and are currently working with the approved manufacturers. The FDA’s Drug Shortage Staff regularly work with manufacturers to evaluate the entire supply chain of drug products to help prevent or reduce the impact of a drug shortage. If a shortage cannot be prevented, we would provide a posting of availability for all approved products.”
Other drugs that the FDA added to the shortage list this month included albuterol sulfate, alprostadil suppository, verteporfin injection, verapamil hydrochloride, glipizide, and indigotindisulfonate sodium injection.
