Hundreds of drugs are in short supply

[Kenneth, 07/15/2024, Coalition for a Prosperous America, “Drug Shortages Increase Odds Of Patient Death; More Than Half Of Drugs In Short Supply For Over 12 Months.,” https://prosperousamerica.org/drug-shortages-increase-odds-of-patient-death-more-than-half-of-drugs-in-short-supply-for-over-12-months/, accessed: 07/15/2024, shl]

Drug shortages are becoming commonplace in the U.S. Data from a new pharmaceutical industry tracking firm, Qyobo, shows hundreds of drugs are still in short supply – some well over a year — and our dependence on imports grows, including from labs on the receiving end of lackluster FDA inspections.

In some cases, when imported life-saving drugs are unavailable, patients die.

In December, a 60-year old Wisconsin high school football coach named Jeff Bolle died of bile duct cancer after roughly a year on chemotherapy. With two rounds of chemo remaining, Bolle’s doctors were forced to stop treatment in May 2023 due to shortages of cisplatin, one of numerous chemotherapy drugs in short supply, according to the FDA. The drug has been in short supply since February 2023.

As a result, Bolle’s cancer was left untreated for a few months and by September 2023 he had deteriorated sharply. The shortage of cisplatin, and the lack of any alternatives for his needs, ultimately led to Bolle’s death, his wife told the TODAY show in April.

The FDA gave emergency authorization to China-based Qilu Pharmaceutical Co. this winter for temporary import. Even more concerning, the FDA allowed for India’s notorious Intas Pharmaceuticals Limited to export cisplatin made in labs that were banned from exporting that very drug to the United States in November 2023, rendering the FDA’s so-called Import Alert impotent.

200 Drugs In Short Supply; 58% In Shortage For Over A Year

As of June, the U.S. has 232 drugs in short supply; some of them critical, some of them basic medications like those used in IV solution bags in hospital settings. Of that number, 58% of them have faced supply problems for a year or more, with 31% in short supply for 1-3 years, based on drug shortage analysis provided by Qyobo.

Nearly all of those drugs are imported generic medications. The U.S. imports around 80% of its generic drugs. Pharmaceuticals are a top three source of the U.S. trade deficit.