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The prescription drug supply chain may be the
most critical supply chain our nation has and,
unfortunately, it also may be the most fragile.
Sadly, these supply chain
challenges risk the lives of Americans:
Supply chains are never far from news
headlines, but when those headlines are
reporting drug shortages, it is
personal.
323 drugs were in short supply in the
first quarter of 2024 according to
the University of
Utah Drug Information
Service data
published by the American Society of
Health-System Pharmacists. That
number is up from the previous high
of 320 marked in 2014 and the
highest since the University of Utah
began tracking shortages in
2001.
Indeed, prescription drug shortages
are reaching new levels. Per The
Epoch
Times,
Drug shortages are the highest in a decade,
with 2023 topping the charts, according to
United States Pharmacopeia’s first annual
Drug Shortage Report (USP).
“The number of drug shortages has
increased over a decade, with 125
active drug shortages monitored by
FDA at the end of 2023. ... This
high number of shortages is a direct
result of persistent market
vulnerabilities,” the report authors
wrote. “According to our analysis,
over a quarter of drugs in shortage
were new drug shortages (34
products) in 2023.”
USP is a nonprofit organization
that sets quality standards
for medication, dietary
supplements, and food
ingredients
worldwide.
These shortages are not short-term either, the
report notes that the average drug shortage
lasts more than three years.
These drug shortages indicate vulnerability
in the market and affect patient care.
“Unexpected shocks can break the system
and disrupt the supply of quality
medicines,” Anthony Lakavage, senior
vice president for Global External
Affairs at USP, said in a news
release. “This worrisome trajectory
leads to more frequent drug
shortages, prolonged scarcity, and
more people at risk of not getting
the medicines they need, when they
need them.”
Drug Shortages Happening at the Worst
Time
These prescription drug shortages aren’t
happening in a vacuum – as prescription drug
shortages have gotten more dire, our healthcare
system has faced some truly epic challenges.
Over the last few years our healthcare system
has been rocked by the COVID pandemic, dangerous
experimental vaccines, government bans on safe
and effective drugs, Disease X, the bird flu and
the list goes on.
And it’s not just pandemics, every day medical
challenges like strep throat, pneumonia, sinus
infections, tick bites, urinary tract
infections, and diarrhea are all impacted by
severe drug shortages. All of these are medical
emergencies faced by tens of millions of
Americans every single year.
Now – more than ever – is
the time for the American public to be
prepared.
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