Number of drug shortages hits 23-year high

The Hill ^ | 06/11/2024 | Anna Kutz

[ChicagoConservative27]

(NewsNation) — The first quarter of 2024 recorded the country’s highest-ever number of ongoing drug shortages, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists data shows.

A total of 323 drugs — including life-saving medicines like oxytocin, Rho(D) immune globulin and chemotherapy — were in a deficit during the first three months of the year.

The January-March numbers were the highest number of shortages recorded since the ASHP began recording them in 2001.

The University of Utah Drug Information Service collects data from pharmacists nationwide and compiles them into statistics on the ASHP’s website.

[ChicagoConservative27]

My mom has had some prescriptions they can only her a partial because supply is low.

[FlingWingFlyer]

We’ve got 35 to 50 million foreign freeloader illegal aliens milking the system belonging to the American people. Same thing is going to happen to food and everything else. America is now the mother and father to every freeloading maggot on the planet.

[fwdude]

I’m not sure if that explains it all. But yes, freeloaders drain the system.

[rktman]

But, probably plenty of fentanyl available right?

[cephalopod]

This is one area on which Trump should campaign.
The US is far too dependent on undependable or unfriendly foreign sources of strategic materials such as pharmaceuticals, rare earths, computer components and I’m sure many more. In most cases (that I know of) it’s not a matter of resources, it’s national will to produce and excessive greed that throttles domestic production.
I am not in favor of nationalizing such industries, but incentivizing production should bring these industries home. It can’t be that much cheaper to have India produce a tablet than the US could do it.
If people knew how tenuous the supply of some of our most needed materials were, I think they’d be even more MAGA.

[hecticskeptic]

Number of drug shortages....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Huh... one would have thought there would be a bit of a lull in the demand with young Hunter needing to be in court and all....

[pepsionice]

Go back to the 1990s...Puerto Rico had the tax advantage for manufacturing prescription drugs taken away. Just re-instate the tax credit.

[blackdog]

I stopped buying my prescription drugs in the American Circus of Healthcare from pharmacies via the absurd systems of health insurance and coverage. I just buy everything my doctor prescibes me from Mumbai, India. It takes anywhere from ten days to a month to arrive and clear customs. A whole years supply. My doctors give me samples because I ask for them, that covers the time it takes for the supply to arrive. It's the same factories that make it and send it to the states for brand and company packaging.

Take charge of what you can and should.

[Right Brother]

China. Unbelievable that they are our main suppliers of essential prescription drugs. Criminal actually.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

The good news is the number of prescription-caused deaths will drop.

Prescriptions are the third leading cause of death in America...

"Our prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death after heart disease and cancer in the United States and Europe. Around half of those who die have taken their drugs correctly; the other half die because of errors, such as too high a dose or use of a drug despite contraindications.

-pubmed