Drug shortages hit highest number since 2001, impacting patients, hospitals and pharmacies

WASHINGTON — Christina Shreeve said her son has been living Crohn’s disease for almost six years.

“When we got that diagnosis it was terrifying and life changing,” said Shreeve with Angels for Change.

Recently, she said one of her son’s monthly IV medications went into short supply.

“It’s very frustrating because it’s difficult to reach remission with this disease and once you find that magic combination, you want to stick with it as long as possible,” said Shreeve.

Her family isn’t the only one affected by these changes.

There were 323 drug shortages during the first quarter of 2024, the highest number since 2001, according to the University of Utah Drug Information Service. This includes chemotherapy drugs, painkillers, and medications with impacts to pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals.

“Some of those products are very, very critical things that are on like the crash cart, the code blue cart, where time is of the essence, everyone is in an emergency situation,” said Erin Fox with the University of Utah Drug Information Service.

Erin Fox is the lead research for the Drug Information Service. She said the University has a broader definition for drug shortages compared to the Food and Drug Administration which means their list has more shortages listed.

“We also take into account how clinicians and health systems actually use these products, and how difficult it is when you’re out have a very specific strength or a specific formulation, FDA may not consider those nuances,” said Fox.

Researchers say there are economic factors contributing to these shortages.

Dr. Michael Ganio with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists adds that transparency into drug quality is also a factor

“When we buy a product, we typically buy the cheapest without knowing what sort of supply chain we’re supporting, how much resiliency are they putting into their manufacturing processes, are they investing in quality of their manufacturing facility,” said Ganio.

We reached out to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) which represents more than two dozen drug companies about these numbers.

In a written statement, Andrew Powaleny, Senior Director of Public Affairs at PhRMA called for a more holistic approach to addressing these shortages. “Given the majority of prescription drug shortages are generic, lawmakers should prioritize public policies that spur infrastructure investments that could increase the resiliency of supply chains for medicines with a long history of drug shortages,” said Powaleny in the statement.

If these shortages continue long term, Dr. Ganio warns it could take a serious toll on the healthcare system.

“One of the things that happens with these shortages is it changes how we care for patients,” said Dr. Ganio. “We’re spending more time managing them finding ways to prepare drugs differently to get them to patients, prescribing alternatives.”

Earlier this year, Medicare proposed incentives for hundreds of small hospitals to set up and maintain a six month buffer of supplies for essential medications.

Full statement from Andrew Powaleny, Senior Director of Public Affairs at PhRMA:

“Ensuring patients can get their medicines when they need them is critical, which is why any drug shortage can be concerning to both patients and providers. A more holistic approach to address prescription drug shortages is needed to address the root cause of this challenge. Given the majority of prescription drug shortages are generic, lawmakers should prioritize public policies that spur infrastructure investments that could increase the resiliency of supply chains for medicines with a long history of drug shortages - such as generic injectables, work with trading partners to expand regional manufacturing capacity and leverage public-private partnerships to support innovation in biopharmaceutical manufacturing processes.”

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