Drug shortages are getting worse nationwide

Editor's Note

Across the US, drug shortages are on the rise, including for chemotherapy drugs, antibiotics, and weight-loss drugs, PBS News November 5 reports. This trend is worrisome for many reasons, experts say, with the top-pressing concern being high-risk patients having to switch to less effective or more aggressive regimens because of a drug’s unavailability.

There were over 300 ongoing drug shortages in the US, as of late spring 2023; that is the highest number of shortages in nearly a decade. Experts say this rate of shortages comes as a result of supply chain gaps, manufacturing delays, and spikes in demand.  

To combat these shortages, the Brookings Institute recommended a three-part approach:

• broader support for manufacturing upgrades
• providing purchasers with better data to make informed decisions about generics
• creating targeted stockpiles of the most critical drugs.