According to a recent Senate report (pdf), drug shortages increased to nearly 30 percent between 2021 and 2022.
“Drug shortages are increasing, lasting longer,” the Senate report said. “The number of active drug shortages in the U.S. reached a peak of 295 at the end of 2022.”
Though drug shortages are not uncommon, the current shortage is sparking renewed interest among lawmakers. “Congress, the executive branch, and industry must work together to respond to this decades-long problem,” the report remarked.
Doctors Lack the Most Effective Medicines
From basic asthma medication to certain chemotherapies, doctors are finding it increasingly challenging to acquire the medicine they need to treat patients. The shortage places doctors in complicated positions of prioritizing certain patients’ needs above others, thereby imposing increased ethical burdens on health care professionals….