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Prescription drug shortages are at an all-time high in the United States with 323 drugs in a deficit.
According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the University of Utah Drug Information Service, 32 chemotherapy drugs, central nervous system stimulants like Adderall, antibiotics, hormone agents and intravenous fluids are all in short supply due in part to supply chain problems.
“It’s long past time to put an end to drug shortages,” Paul Abramowitz, chief executive officer of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, wrote in a blog post on Thursday.
“All drug classes are vulnerable to shortages,” he wrote. “Some of the most worrying shortages involve generic sterile injectable medications, including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency medications stored in hospital crash carts and procedural areas. Ongoing national shortages of therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder also remain a serious challenge for clinicians and patients.”