The US experienced a record 323 drug shortages in the first quarter of 2024, with all drug classes being vulnerable to shortages, particularly sterile injectables, cancer chemotherapy, and emergency drugs.

The drug supply deficit has been steady since 2021, with 32 chemotherapy drugs in short supply.

Most treatment shortages have lasted over two years, affecting over half a million patients, mostly elderly.

Manufacturing and quality problems are often the root cause of drug shortages, with the FDA blaming manufacturing issues, supply chain gaps, and downtime.

Large health systems often exacerbate shortages by placing large orders when they are anticipated, and lack of transparency in the supply chain contributes to the shortage crisis.

The US does not require supplier disclosure, unlike countries like New Zealand.

There were 323 drug shortages in the US in Q1 2024, exceeding the 2014 record of 320.

Chemotherapy is among the top five drugs most affected by the shortage, threatening patients, and hospitals and clinics are diverting patients due to a shortage of some chemotherapy drugs.

The nationwide shortage of ADHD drugs persists, and the shortage of Mounjaro, a diabetes drug, is due to an unprecedented surge in demand.

Lilly expects intermittent Mounjaro supply disruptions despite ramping up production.

The White House proposes spending $3.26 billion to $5.11 billion over the next decade to address the nation's drug shortage.

U.S. researchers and policymakers believe a complete solution to the drug shortage may require changes to the U.S. pharmaceutical industry's business model.

Policymakers recommend giving the FDA more power to access information about drug shortages.

Global supply chains have been disrupted, affecting access to essential medications since 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened global supply chain problems, with export controls on medical supplies and medicines implemented in 86 jurisdictions.

Vaccine nationalism has hindered global immunization and fueled the development of more dangerous COVID-19 variants.

The pandemic has caused a semiconductor chip shortage due to increased demand for cars and consumer electronics.

Demand surges have disrupted global supply chains, and supply chains for food and medical supplies have seen only minor disruptions since March 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic severely strained global health systems from 2020 to 2021, causing lockdowns and supply disruptions.

Confirmed COVID-19 infections nearly doubled from 82 million in 2020 to over 150 million by April 2021, impacting access to essential medications.

MSF maintained COVID-19 activities in 165 projects across 52 countries in 2021, delivering medical care and improving infection control.

Oxygen demand for COVID-19 patients exceeded production capacity in countries like Malawi, causing shortages and imports.

The Beta variant spread rapidly in southern Africa, exposing gaps in health provision and the need for robust medical supply chains.

French health groups propose measures to limit drug shortage damage, including more transparency from pharmaceutical companies.

France reported 4,925 drug shortages in 2023, up from 3,761 in 2022 and 2,160 in 2021.

A 2024 survey found that 44% of people in France had faced a drug shortage, causing patient anxiety and worsening symptoms.

The FDA declared a nationwide Adderall shortage in 2022 due to manufacturing delays.

Manufacturing delays and labor shortages are contributing to the Adderall shortage, and pharmacies are experiencing back orders due to the shortage.

15 cancer drugs are in short supply due to manufacturing and supply chain issues.

The shortage of chemotherapy drugs is impacting cancer care locally and nationwide.

Pharmacy Director Michelle Kososki rated the local shortage a 4 out of 5, citing a near depletion of all but one drug.

The US is experiencing a drug shortage, with ADHD medications being just one example.

Over 135 drugs, including cancer chemotherapy drugs, are in short supply, the FDA reports.

A survey by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists found that one-third of 1,100 hospitals had to alter prescriptions due to drug shortages.

Jordan's Ministry of Health owes pharmaceutical companies 300 million dinars, causing medication shortages due to delayed payments.

The shortage of medicines in Jordanian hospitals threatens healthcare quality and patient safety.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the antifungal drugs market in 2020 due to supply chain disruptions and social distancing rules.

The antifungal medicine business was impacted by flight limitations in Q1 2020, but recovered in Q2 2020.

US medicine shortages rose 30% in 2022 from 2021, and a shortage of critical drugs poses a national security threat to the US.

Medicine shortages typically last 18 months, but can persist for up to 15 years.

Drugs like antibiotics and anesthetics are in short supply, and economic factors, an opaque supply chain, and significant foreign production contribute to the shortage.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the country's 15 most scarce drugs, including antibiotics and medications for fever and diarrhea.

The Director of Health Insurance said drug prices will not be adjusted this year.

Pharmacists pay 33% more than the health insurance price for certain drugs like magnesium oxide.

The Ukraine-Russia conflict caused Taiwan's biggest drug shortage in 30 years in 2021.

Patients with heart disease lacked access to self-funded drugs, forcing them to seek help from pharmaceutical companies.

Most hospital pharmacists are reporting a critical shortage of chemotherapy drugs.

Hospital pharmacists are reporting widespread medicine supply gaps amid near-record prescription drug shortages.

One-third of health systems have delayed, cancelled or rationed care due to drug shortages.

There are currently 309 drug shortages, nearing the all-time high of 320 in 2014.

Hospitals are substituting drugs and changing treatment plans due to key drug scarcity.

No alternatives exist for some affected drugs, putting patients at risk.

The FDA has temporarily allowed overseas drug manufacturers to import some chemotherapy drugs, including cisplatin.

Over a dozen cancer drugs, including cisplatin and carboplatin, are in short supply.

Cisplatin and similar drugs are prescribed for 10% to 20% of cancer patients.

Most academic cancer centers reported shortages of carboplatin (93%) and cisplatin (70%).

Shortages have been reported for various medications, including steroids, heart medications, and intensive care drugs.

About two-thirds of pharmacists said shortages were 'moderately impactful', affecting patients despite being manageable.

Pharmacists are managing shortages by offering alternatives, adjusting purchases, and rationing medicines.

The US experienced a record 323 drug shortages in the first quarter of 2024, with all drug classes being vulnerable to shortages, particularly sterile injectables, cancer chemotherapy, and emergency drugs.

Title:

Content: General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
General Supervision
Elham Aboul Fath
Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for your patience.
An Unexpected Catastrophe in the World ’ s Largest Country: The Complete Story of U.S. Drug Shortages
The deficit is at a record level.
According to data from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the University of Utah Drug Information Service, organizations began tracking drug shortages for the first time in 2001. Steady since 2021 – now reaching a record high of 323 drugs in the first three months of 2024.
Paul Abramowitz, CEO of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, wrote in a blog post on Thursday: “It ’ s been a long time to end drug shortages, ” and wrote:“ All drug classes are vulnerable to shortages, some of the most worrisome shortages include sterile injectable generic drugs, including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency drugs stored in hospital vans and procedural areas. It is dangerous for doctors and patients. ”
In addition to the 32 chemotherapy drugs that are deficient, the five categories of drugs with the greatest deficiency include central nervous system stimulants, antimicrobials, hormonal agents, and intravenous fluids. [1] The Drug Deficiency Database maintained by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the University of Utah is based on voluntary reports from practitioners, patients, and others that have been confirmed by manufacturers. The U.S. drug is in short supply, because it captures broader effects on service providers and patients.
The crisis has lasted a year and a half.
More than half of the treatment shortages have lasted for more than two years, according to an analysis by health consultancy IQVIA, and the average shortage affects at least half a million patients, many of them elderly, according to the US Office of Health and Human Services under the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, which shared its analysis with Congress in May.
Growing demand can play a role in drug shortages, as with the recent shortage of weight-loss drugs, but often manufacturing and quality problems, such as supply chain gaps and downtime, are the root cause. And varied.
But the American Society of Health System Pharmacists has “serious concerns ” about parts of this proposal, especially financial sanctions imposed on hospitals that lack the resources to comply with the recommendations, Abramowitz wrote:“ We all know that managing shortages is not enough and is not a sustainable solution to the worsening crisis, and there is still a lot of work to be done at the federal level to fix the root causes of drug shortages. ”
Why Shortage Occurs
Shortages can be caused by high demand, as with the recent shortage of weight-loss drugs, but this is not usually the main problem.
The FDA also blames manufacturing and quality problems, supply chain gaps, and downtime, and Dr. Emily Tucker, a drug shortage expert and an assistant professor of industrial engineering at Clemson University, says that when there is an indication of shortages, large health systems often also proactively place large orders, adding to the system ’ s stress.
“I don ’ t blame anyone.
“When I talk to all the stakeholders – whether it ’ s wholesalers, manufacturers, or the government – everyone wants this problem to end, ” she said.
Lack of transparency
Dr. Julie Grallo, chief medical officer and executive vice president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, told the House Committee earlier that the shortage puts providers in a terrible position: “The drug shortage crisis is forcing providers to make impossible choices, and it is also hindering the development of new drugs. Health drugs are purchased only on a price basis, and manufacturers do not have to disclose the source of their acquisition of the ingredients.
The shortage of this generic chemical drug came due to the closure of one factory in India that manufactures the active ingredient after a surprise FDA inspection found “significant quality issues, ” says Jarallo:“ We didn ’ t know, and there was no transparency regarding the company ’ s supply of the majority of active pharmaceutical ingredients to all manufacturers across the board.
Knowing this in advance, we could have responded much faster, ” Dr. Steven Schundlemeyer, director of the PRIME Institute of the University of Minnesota School of Pharmacy, which focuses on economic and management issues, told the committee that as with defense contractors in the United States, New Zealand requires manufacturers to disclose their suppliers, and that information is required.
Easily accessible in the database.
Related Topics

The drug supply deficit has been steady since 2021, with 32 chemotherapy drugs in short supply.

Most treatment shortages have lasted over two years, affecting over half a million patients, mostly elderly.

Manufacturing and quality problems are often the root cause of drug shortages, with the FDA blaming manufacturing issues, supply chain gaps, and downtime.

Large health systems often exacerbate shortages by placing large orders when they are anticipated, and lack of transparency in the supply chain contributes to the shortage crisis.

The US does not require supplier disclosure, unlike countries like New Zealand.

There were 323 drug shortages in the US in Q1 2024, exceeding the 2014 record of 320.

Title:

Content: Meitu
The first quarter of the United States serious drug shortage 323 drugs urgent cancer patients also have to be diverted and rationed!
CHU HENG NETWORK NEWS CENTER 2024-04-16 10: 42
According to the latest data from the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the Utah Center for Drug Information Services, a total of 323 drugs in the United States were in severe shortages in the first quarter of this year, surpassing the record of 320 in 2014.
Among the drugs affected are the widely used diabetes drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro, the allergy treatment drug adrenaline, the common antibiotic amoxicillin for children, chemotherapy drugs and injections commonly used in hospitals in intensive care.
ASHP CEO Paul Abramowitz said in a statement that almost all categories of drugs are facing shortages, with non-patented sterile injectable drugs, including cancer chemotherapy drugs, and emergency drugs stored in hospital emergency vans and operating areas, the shortage of such drugs is the most worrying.
According to the American Cancer Society, chemotherapy is one of the top five drugs most affected by the shortage, which threatens to have a devastating impact on patients, and some hospitals and clinics say doctors have had to divert patients to ration their medications because of a shortage of some chemotherapy drugs.
In addition, ASHP noted that the continued nationwide shortage of ADHD drugs is “a problem for clinicians and patients. ”
The shortage of popular drugs is even more acute, with Mounjaro, the diabetes drug known as the “slimming pill ”, already in dire straits.
In response, Lilly said that the “unprecedented surge in demand ” for Mounjaro and its similar drug Zepbound has led to a shortage in the market, which the company is struggling to cope with.
Lilly is ramping up investments to boost production at Mounjaro and Zepbound in the second half of 2024.
The company said it expects intermittent supply disruptions in the near term due to unprecedented demand.
How to cure the drug shortage
The last major “drug shortage ” in U.S. history occurred in 2014, and it has only been alleviated in the years since.
Since 2021, the drug shortage situation seems to be increasing, and scholars in the field of medical health and economics in the United States believe that the reason for most drug shortages in the United States is the fragmentation of the drug supply chain.
The White House this month proposed spending between $3.26 billion and $5.11 billion over the next decade to help address the nation ’ s drug shortage.
The bill requires approval and funding from the U.S. Congress.
U.S. researchers and policymakers believe that a complete solution to the “drug shortage ” may require changes to the business model of the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, including measures to increase the price of generic drugs to attract more drug manufacturers.
Policymakers recommend giving the FDA more power to access more information about drug shortages and impending shortages.
Currently, the FDA relies primarily on phone calls to manufacturers asking if they can increase their supply to understand the situation.
The American Society of Health System Pharmacists said it is working with the federal government to advise the government on measures to address the drug shortage, including that Congress should require manufacturers to be more transparent on any supply chain issues and encourage more diversity in supply chains.
According to Abramowitz, “The federal government still has a lot of work to do to fundamentally address drug shortages, and the American Society of Health System Pharmacists will continue to engage regularly with policymakers to guide them in drafting and passing new legislation to address drug shortages and continue to advocate vigorously for proven solutions on behalf of our members. ”

Chemotherapy is among the top five drugs most affected by the shortage, threatening patients, and hospitals and clinics are diverting patients due to a shortage of some chemotherapy drugs.

The nationwide shortage of ADHD drugs persists, and the shortage of Mounjaro, a diabetes drug, is due to an unprecedented surge in demand.

Lilly expects intermittent Mounjaro supply disruptions despite ramping up production.

The White House proposes spending $3.26 billion to $5.11 billion over the next decade to address the nation's drug shortage.

U.S. researchers and policymakers believe a complete solution to the drug shortage may require changes to the U.S. pharmaceutical industry's business model.

Policymakers recommend giving the FDA more power to access information about drug shortages.

Global supply chains have been disrupted, affecting access to essential medications since 2021.

Title:

Content: International
International News
Dependent on foreign raw materials fluctuate, big pharmaceutical companies chase short-term profit loss production
The shortage of ADHD drugs is just the tip of the iceberg of the current drug shortage in the United States. According to the FDA, more than 135 drugs are in short supply, including chemotherapy drugs for cancer.
A survey released by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) in early August showed that one-third of the 1,100 hospitals surveyed had no prescription, delayed or reduced prescriptions due to drug shortages to meet the supply window.
Expert analysis, pharmaceutical companies to pursue short-term profit first business model, so that the production of life-saving drugs and demand out of line, drug shortage problem is difficult to improve.
Experts urge pharmaceutical companies to face social responsibility
Rita Numerof, a medical industry consultant, wrote in Forbes magazine that in order to reduce costs, US pharmaceutical companies have long relied on foreign suppliers such as China, India and Italy to import raw materials for the production of drugs, which is prone to fluctuations in supply. They are looking to develop drugs that are more likely to be used for long-term diseases.
Teva, a manufacturer of ADHD drugs and the world ’ s largest generic drug manufacturer, announced earlier that it would reduce the production of some generic drugs and focus on more profitable products. Rumelove warned that if pharmaceutical companies are unwilling to address their social responsibilities and strengthen supply risk management, public trust in the pharmaceutical industry will continue to weaken, and ultimately public health and safety will pay a heavy price.
Focus on the organization to accelerate the use of new generic drugs to increase production incentives
The American Association for Access to Medicines (AAM) released a report last month, saying that because of restrictions on the supply of generic drugs, the supply price of generic drugs is limited, and the return of investment in new drugs is not high. The situation.
(Forbes / DrugTopics)
(Global Hot Talk)
Related Words: Adderall Drug Shortage Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Previous / Next News

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened global supply chain problems, with export controls on medical supplies and medicines implemented in 86 jurisdictions.

Title:

Content: Protectionism

Where's My Stuff?

Supply chains are struggling, but they're not as fragile as you think.

|

Americans can be forgiven for thinking that every critical system we rely on is breaking down. The country—nay, the globe—has endured years of social, political, environmental, and epidemiological upheaval. Pick your shock: COVID-19, wildfires, George Floyd protests, climate change, January 6. They all seem like harbingers of a chaotic future.

But backlogs in Pottery Barn orders are when shit gets real.

From Bosch dishwashers to bucatini to chicken wings to pipette tips, the past year has seen a raft of press coverage about delays, price spikes, and other disruptions to the production and shipment of goods to the United States. Strains in the global supply chain caused semiconductor shortages and big price increases for used cars. Toyota, Ford, and General Motors have all scaled back production in recent months because of the dearth of computer chips. When the container ship Ever Given temporarily ran aground in the Suez Canal, the Financial Times asserted that the accident showed "the inherent fragility of tightly stretched global supply chains at the very moment when they are already being buffeted by a pandemic and in an era when the philosophical underpinnings of global trade are being challenged."

Journalists aren't the only folks freaking out. Less than six weeks into his term, President Joe Biden issued an executive order mandating that eight cabinet departments examine the resilience of U.S. supply chains, warning that "pandemics and other biological threats, cyber-attacks, climate shocks and extreme weather events, terrorist attacks, geopolitical and economic competition, and other conditions can reduce critical manufacturing capacity and the availability and integrity of critical goods, products, and services." More recently, Biden has floated multiple policy responses, including using the National Guard to untangle snarled supply chains.

The administration's concern about global supply chains fits in with the political elite's larger ideological pivot away from trade liberalization and toward a more mercantilist posture. Indeed, this is the area where the Biden and Trump administrations sound the most similar. Biden's U.S. trade representative, Katherine Tai, stated in a congressional hearing that trade liberalization and tariff reductions were no longer her office's principal goals. In June, Biden's National Economic Council director, Brian Deese, declared that "resilient supply chains must be at the center of a 21st century industrial strategy." One of Biden's senior directors at the National Security Council has told me that "the U.S. is not a trade-dependent nation." Another administration official questioned to me whether the notion of comparative advantage in trade still exists. Never one to be outdone in policy freakouts, Sen. Josh Hawley (R–Mo.) has introduced a bill requiring more than half the value-added of any critical good to be domestically sourced.

The recent convulsions in global supply chains do highlight ways the globalization of the past decade differs from the idealized models taught in introductory economics courses. Globalization has produced far more market concentration than would have been expected a generation ago. The tripling of the Baltic Dry Index (which measures the cost of shipping dry goods such as coal or steel between ports) and the quintupling of U.S.-China container shipping rates over the past year demonstrate that frictionless markets do not exist. Rising geopolitical tensions between the United States and China reveal the ways that great power competition will complicate cross-border exchange. And the pandemic showed how the global economy can be buffeted by shocks that textbooks typically do not discuss.

A closer look at global value chains reveals ways that both public-sector and private-sector actors have prioritized short-term efficiency at the expense of long-term resilience. But it also reveals a mismatch between a lot of overheated political rhetoric and an actual understanding of how the global economy works. Many of the past year's issues are temporary—and when it comes to strained global supply chains, globalization is more often the solution than the problem.

When Ford completed its massive River Rouge plant in 1928, it created a factory that controlled every facet of car production, including its own steel mill. Trade volume was high during this era, but very few intermediate goods crossed borders. In the time since then, the industrial organization of production has changed a wee bit.

Whereas trade a century ago was primarily in finished goods, manufacturing now has disaggregated itself into myriad chains of subcontractors. As one MIT Sloan Management Review article summarized the phenomenon, we have a "deeper tiering of supply chains whereby suppliers draw upon their suppliers who in turn draw on their own networks of suppliers in multistage production networks."

Why did this happen? The end of the Cold War eliminated most geopolitical concerns about where to locate production facilities. Basic trade theory meant an awful lot of facilities expanded in China, the low-cost manufacturing locale. The reduction of transportation and communication costs made it easier for production to be disaggregated and managed at a distance. "Just-in-time" manufacturing encouraged companies to hold minimal inventories and count on suppliers to respond quickly to fluctuations in consumer demand. Management consultants stressed the efficiency of offshore outsourcing.

The most widely cited example of the globalized supply chain is Apple's iPhone. Most people know that the iPhone is manufactured in China and exported to the United States. What is less well known is that China plays only a minor role in the creation of its added value. The iPhone's flash drive comes from the Japanese firm Toshiba. Samsung, a South Korean firm, provides the application processor. A German company provides the camera module, and a U.S. subcontractor provides the Bluetooth application. All of these parts are then assembled by a Taiwanese firm, Foxconn, with operations in Shenzhen, China.

The management consultants were right about the efficiency. While productivity in the service sector stagnated after the turn of the century, manufacturing productivity continued to soar.

The political economy advantages were also apparent after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The last time a financial shock of that magnitude hit, the trade wars of the Great Depression began. 2008 was different. A World Bank study examined trade restrictions immediately after 2008 and found that "vertical specialization" was the most powerful economic factor that limited tariff increases. The more a country's economy was enmeshed in global supply chains, the less likely it was to raise barriers to trade. Global supply chains help explain why the Great Recession did not lead to trade wars like those of the Great Depression.

So these global value chains seemed like an unalloyed good. And then the 2010s happened.

As global supply chains grew more and more complex, there were signs of trouble on the horizon. In 2011, the Chao Phraya River floods in Thailand severely but temporarily constricted production of hard disk drives, because close to half of global output was sourced from Thailand. In 2017, U.S. hospitals faced an acute shortage of IV bags after Hurricane Maria knocked out a key production facility in Puerto Rico.

The 2011 earthquake and tsunami that hit Fukushima in Japan affected key nodes in global manufacturing. Some firms suspended sales of cars in certain colors because key ingredients were stored near Fukushima and inaccessible. An iPhone designer warned The New York Times that "there are all kinds of little specialized parts without second sources, like connectors, speakers, microphones, batteries and sensors that don't get the love they deserve. Many are from Japan."

These supply chain hiccups highlighted one underanticipated phenomenon of globalization: Rather than strengthen market competition, it strengthened market concentration. Consumer-facing firms from Walmart to Ford to Apple to Home Depot stressed cost minimization ubër alles. Firms that excelled at efficiently producing one part became near-monopolists for that component. This is how Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) became the dominant global supplier of customized semiconductor chips. Other chipmakers focused on design, subcontracting to the Taiwanese firm for the physical production. As TSMC accrued comparative advantages in chip production, even established competitors such as Intel struggled.

The return of geopolitical competition has also flummoxed producers. China is a critical node in almost every global value chain. Over the last decade, as Xi Jinping has consolidated his power, the Chinese state has taken a number of steps that have raised hackles in Western capitals. Some of these, such as the Belt and Road Initiative, have been overhyped. Others, such as the subjugation of the Uyghurs, repression in Hong Kong, increasing control over United Nations agencies, and the expansion of China's nuclear arsenal, have not. Xi's "wolf warrior diplomacy" has triggered evaluations in the United States, Europe, and Pacific Rim about just how vulnerable their economies are to disruptions from Chinese suppliers. The 2010 rare earth embargo on Japan in response to a territorial dispute in the East China Sea offered a warning about how China could weaponize the interdependence of global value chains; Huawei's dominance in 5G offered another. Erratic U.S. policies during the Trump administration served in turn as a warning about how Western governments could disrupt global value chains.

Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the problems of both market concentration and political whimsy. As China reeled from the pandemic's first wave, there were disruptions across the global economy. China exercised state power to seize domestically produced personal protective equipment and other medical supplies; the United States soon reciprocated. According to Global Trade Alert, 157 export controls on medical supplies and medicines were put in place across 86 jurisdictions in the first six months of the pandemic. U.S. leaders expressed concerns about vulnerability to China weaponizing its role in medical supply chains. So did journalists: In May 2021, 60 Minutes warned that "COVID showed that the global supply chain of chips is fragile." The Washington Post concurred: "The pandemic has exposed fragile global supply chains across multiple continents."

Countries exercised vaccine nationalism, stunting global immunization against COVID-19, which in turn facilitated the development of more dangerous variants of the novel coronavirus. The delta variant has penetrated Chinese port facilities, Malaysian chip factories, and Bangladeshi textile plants, leading to periodic shutdowns that have spiked container shipping prices and lengthened order backlogs.

Throughout all this, producers seemed to be stuck in quicksand. The past decade has not been shy in signaling to firms that there might be risks to increasingly disaggregated global supply chains. If natural disasters, pandemics, and geopolitical tensions were not enough, now management consultants are piling on. The same consultants who urged offshoring a generation ago are now telling firms to retrench from globalized supply chains. But most firms do not seem terrifically interested in changing their practices. Multinational corporations like Apple have not altered their supply chains in response to political pressure. Whether one looks at business surveys or journalistic accounts, the results are the same: Most U.S. firms do not plan on moving their supply chains away from China.

A world in which the distribution of goods is held up due to constant supply chain disruptions seems less than ideal. What can be done about it?

One thing that would be great is if everyone would acknowledge that a lot of the issues with global value chains right now have to do with demand more than supply.

When the pandemic began, there was an immediate and acute contraction of demand. Producers assumed that this would be the new normal and reduced their output. They were mistaken. The combination of emergency COVID-19 relief and the work-from-home phenomenon led to a resurgence of demand. The affluent class had considerable sums of disposable income. The pandemic made spending on services a less viable option, so instead they spent it on stuff: cars, furniture, home office equipment, gaming systems, house renovations, and so forth. The shortage of semiconductor chips was caused by the unexpected twin rebounds in demand for cars and consumer electronics. As one Federal Reserve analysis explained, "the pause in demand was much shorter and the rebound in demand was much stronger than anticipated." These demand surges surprised suppliers and led to the production bottlenecks that are currently seizing up Pottery Barn orders.

While demand has been stronger than expected, supply in critical sectors coped better than expected. The predicted pandemic breakdowns in supply chains for food and medical supplies proved to be overstated. Surveys of logistical firms last year revealed that the pandemic had minimal effects on their operational capabilities. Even when it came to medicines and personal protective equipment, there were only minor disruptions after the initial shock in March 2020. Claims that the global supply chain in medical products rendered states vulnerable to weaponized interdependence proved to be wildly exaggerated. The pandemic affected service sectors such as tourism far more severely than any manufacturing sector. Indeed, Slate's Jordan Weissmann pointed out recently that "imports were up 5 percent year-over-year in September, and up 17 percent compared with the same time in 2019." This happened despite the decline in air passenger traffic, which restricted yet another means of shipping goods by air. Supply has increased—it's just that demand has surged even more.

The private sector is responding to market signals by ramping up production and ensuring multiple supply lines. Intel, Samsung, and TSMC are all spending tens of billions of dollars to build new chip foundries in the United States. Skyrocketing shipping prices are incentivizing additional construction of new container ships. The Wall Street Journal reports that in the first five months of 2021, there were nearly twice as many orders for new container ships as there were in all of 2019 and 2020 combined. To ensure holiday inventory, large retailers like Walmart and Home Depot have chartered their own container ships. Container shipping rates have already started to decline from September peaks.

But these capital investments designed to boost resilience will take years to kick in. This time lag is one reason private-sector actors have been so slow to invest in resilient supply chains in the past. If disruptions are expected to be temporary, such investments might seem like overreactions. Given the billions of dollars at stake, this sort of risk aversion is unfortunate but understandable.

Long-term investments in resilience make some sense, but short-term investments in robustness make even more sense. Resilience is the ability to adapt in response to permanent shocks to the system. Robustness is the ability to maintain output levels in response to a short-term hit. The most obvious way that firms can enhance their robustness is to warehouse supplies of key components. Car manufacturers, for example, are pledging to ramp up their inventories of critical components to ensure a more reliable production stream.

Yet the auto sector appears to be the exception and not the rule in bolstering inventories. For most firms, increasing reserves of component parts is an expensive proposition. To a corporation, holding inventory is like holding cash: Why sit on an asset that yields no rate of return? Lean manufacturing was popular in the first place because it boosted profits.

Even as semiconductors have grown scarce, chipmakers and chip customers have battled over which firms will shoulder the costs of carrying greater inventory. Under the just-in-time system, the chipmakers had held the inventory. As one semiconductor CEO said earlier this year, the shortage has shifted the balance of power: "If they expect the semiconductor [suppliers] to be the bank, to keep having a big working capital to support them, they can forget it."

Bottlenecks in the global supply chain threaten the macroeconomic and microeconomic health of the United States. On the macro side, supply chain issues are driving fears of inflation; if not brought under control, this could cause the Fed to prematurely raise interest rates. A related problem is consumer panic over rumored shortages. See, for example, the effect of the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline—drivers panicked and went to gas stations to top off their tanks, temporarily worsening the problem.

On the micro side, the high price of inventories and shipping imperils market competition. Supply risks privilege larger firms over small and medium enterprises. Multinational corporations have the capacity to make large-scale investments in resilience and robustness. They are also able to use their market power to ensure continued access to scarce container billets in ships; your local bodega, by contrast, is unable to charter an entire container ship. The more stretched the global supply chain, the more sectors that look like monopolies rather than a competitive marketplace.

When it comes to fixes, there has been a surplus of really dumb ideas about what the government could do. Hawley's idea of essentially nationalizing supply chains stands out as the dumbest. Such a move would take well more than the three-year window he proposes to execute. Prices would permanently rise due to new inefficiencies. The opportunities for rent-seeking are legion; every sector would be lobbying Washington that what they produce is "critical." It is also worth remembering that Hawley's go-to policies of protectionism and immigration restriction shoulder much of the blame for the lack of truck drivers that have contributed to delivery delays.

The Biden administration's responses have run the gamut. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tried to laugh it all away by reducing the issue to "the tragedy of the treadmill that's delayed." That will not play well with a country used to just-in-time delivery and trying to move past the pandemic. Nor will Biden's proposal to open the port of Los Angeles 24/7 have much of an effect. While ports are currently jammed, there are also bottlenecks in railroad cars and truck drivers—both of which are issues that predated the pandemic. Even if the port gets unstuck, the traffic jam will just migrate to America's railroads and highways.

Looking at manufacturing more generally, some firms have acknowledged that they were unaware of the geographic distribution of their suppliers prior to the pandemic. This is one area where the Biden administration's efforts to collect data on supply chains could be useful.

If the federal government can identify (or even stock) priority components that would affect multiple sectors, those strategic reserves could theoretically bolster the robustness of the U.S. economy. But not if such investments become a stalking horse for protectionism.

All of the evidence of the past year suggests that globalization helps economies recover more quickly from supply chain difficulties than aggressive efforts at homeshoring. This is because most shocks are localized, and access to global value chains facilitates recovery more quickly. Indeed, protectionism is partly to blame for the current mess. As the Cato Institute's Scott Lincicome recently noted, the Jones Act, which mandates use of U.S.-built, crewed, and flagged ships to move cargo from one U.S. port to another, has raised the costs of coastwise shipping, putting even more pressure on truck and train transport.

Unsurprisingly, U.S. producers seeking relief from skyrocketing shipping rates have asked the Biden administration to reduce tariffs. Protectionism isn't the solution to these breakdowns in our supply chains; it's part of the problem.

Vaccine nationalism has hindered global immunization and fueled the development of more dangerous COVID-19 variants.

The pandemic has caused a semiconductor chip shortage due to increased demand for cars and consumer electronics.

Demand surges have disrupted global supply chains, and supply chains for food and medical supplies have seen only minor disruptions since March 2020.

Demand surges have disrupted global supply chains, and supply chains for food and medical supplies have seen only minor disruptions since March 2020.

Demand surges have disrupted global supply chains, and supply chains for food and medical supplies have seen only minor disruptions since March 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic severely strained global health systems from 2020 to 2021, causing lockdowns and supply disruptions.

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Responding to COVID-19: Global Accountability Report 4, January to April 2021

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New interventions and continued response efforts: MSF COVID-19 activities in early 2021

The end of the year 2020 marked a turning point in the global pandemic response, as first COVID-19 vaccines became available to priority groups, including elderly people, frontline health workers and high-risk patients. Nonetheless, the pandemic continued to put severe pressure on health systems and led to strict lockdown measures in both low- and high-resource settings around the world. In many countries, sustained new waves of high COVID-19 infection rates again caused large numbers of patients requiring specialized care, while vaccination efforts only advanced slowly due to vaccine scarcity and related supply and distribution challenges.

From late 2020 and into the new year, several new, more infectious variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus raised concerns over accelerating transmission. In January and February 2021, multiple countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa, South-East Asia, and across the African continent showed increasing trends in case numbers, while alarming rates of new infections and related deaths also continued to be reported from South and Central American countries. March and April saw multiple COVID-19 hotspots resurging around the world, with particularly alarming infection rates in southern Asia.

Over the first months of the new year, the global number of confirmed COVID-19 infections nearly doubled from 82 million at the end of 2020 to more than 150 million by the end of April 2021. More than 1.4 million patients died from COVID-19 related complications during the same period, adding to close to 3.3 million confirmed deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

In 2021, MSF maintained dedicated COVID-19 activities in some 165 projects in 52 countries, working alongside local health workers and supporting hospitals and treatment facilities to deliver medical care and improve infection prevention and control measures. MSF teams continued to provide protection and care for vulnerable populations in remote communities, people on the move, homeless people, and elderly people living in long-term care facilities. In all its projects around the world, MSF also worked to maintain other essential healthcare services amid lockdown and confinement measures.

While several COVID-19 projects could be closed or reintegrated into regular MSF operations at the end of 2020, the new year saw multiple new or reactivated COVID-19 operations in hard-hit countries on five continents. Compared to the previous four months, the number of MSF projects reporting dedicated COVID-19 activities from January to April only reduced by eight percent. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, MSF teams responded to the pandemic in more than 330 different projects in 72 countries.

On request from the health authorities in Malawi, MSF started to support the national COVID-19 response in January, offering more than 2,200 suspect COVID-19 medical consultations and supporting admission of nearly 200 confirmed patients to two treatment facilities. As the demand for oxygen for COVID-19 patients far exceeded the national production capacity, cylinders and concentrators had to be imported and remained in short supply. Amid a major second wave of COVID-19 infections in the wider southern Africa region, the Beta variant of the virus spread extremely fast and created a dangerous gap in health provision with high numbers of healthcare staff not able to come work. In February, MSF urged countries and pharmaceutical companies worldwide to ensure that health workers in the southern Africa region are prioritised in the global allocation of vaccines to prevent the local healthcare systems from collapsing. MSF also scaled up its medical response, including severe patient care, community public health activities and decongesting facilities that were getting overwhelmed in Lesotho, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

In March, MSF reactivated part of its pandemic response in Aden and other parts of Yemen, following a dramatic influx of critically-ill COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalisation. Close to 1,000 suspect or confirmed COVID-19 patients were admitted to MSF treatment facilities in Yemen in March and April, nearly half of which required respiratory support and other intensive care. In Palestine, MSF teams witnessed a sharp increase of COVID-19 patients in Hebron and the West Bank in in March and started supporting two hospitals with COVID-19 treatment centres, as well as urging the authorities to step up efforts to curb the spread of the disease, including through vaccination. Major COVID-19 operations also continued in Iraq and Syria over the first four months of 2021.

At the end of March, MSF started to work with the Ministry of Public Health in Lebanon in a COVID-19 vaccination campaign reaching elderly people and medical personnel in nursing homes. MSF teams also supported vaccination activities in Belgium, South Africa and the Unites States with community outreach, health promotion and technical advice.

In Brazil, MSF continued its interventions in several locations across the country amid an extremely severe health situation, supporting intensive care while struggling with oxygen supply shortages. In April, MSF publicly denounced the Brazilian authorities for failing to convene a coordinated response to the pandemic.

In neighbouring Peru, COVID-19 cases similarly led to overcrowded hospitals, a lack of medical personnel, and shortages of oxygen from early in the year. With very low vaccination coverage obtained by late March, MSF launched a new emergency intervention in the Lima region. MSF teams also continued to see and admit high numbers of suspect and confirmed COVID-19 patients in several projects in Venezuela, despite the forced withdrawal from the Ana Francisca Pérez de León II hospital in Caracas at the end of November due to entry and work permit restrictions for international staff.

In late April, MSF restarted its emergency response amid a surging second wave of COVID-19 in the densely populated city of Mumbai in India, following alarming reports of more than 100,000 new daily infections in Maharashtra state. Major COVID-19 operations also continued in the large refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and in Afghanistan, and MSF launched a new intervention in Papua New Guinea in late March.

In Europe and Central Asia, MSF scaled-up a COVID-19 intervention in Slovakia in January, strengthening infection prevention and control measures in more than 150 retirement facilities and in settlements. Similar support activities to long-term care facilities, shelters and reception centres for migrants and refugees continued in Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, and Switzerland. In the Donetsk region of Ukraine, MSF’s mobile clinic offered screening activities and home-based consultations to more than 4,000 suspect COVID-19 patients between January and April.

Confirmed COVID-19 infections nearly doubled from 82 million in 2020 to over 150 million by April 2021, impacting access to essential medications.

MSF maintained COVID-19 activities in 165 projects across 52 countries in 2021, delivering medical care and improving infection control.

Oxygen demand for COVID-19 patients exceeded production capacity in countries like Malawi, causing shortages and imports.

The Beta variant spread rapidly in southern Africa, exposing gaps in health provision and the need for robust medical supply chains.

French health groups propose measures to limit drug shortage damage, including more transparency from pharmaceutical companies.

Title:

Content: French health groups put forward proposals to limit the damage of worsening drug shortages

Medicines such as cough syrup, lozenges and ointment are seen on a table in an apartment in Berlin, Tuesday, December 20, 2022. Copyright Stephanie Pilick/dpa via AP
Copyright Stephanie Pilick/dpa via AP
By Lauren Chadwick
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Pharmaceutical companies’ lack of transparency leads to rising drug prices and less control over public resources, the group of health organisations say.

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A group of French organisations have called for more transparency from pharmaceutical companies as drug shortages increase.

In a joint report, 14 civil society organisations outlined their recommendations to solve a “situation that has only worsened” since 2018.

The French medicines regulator signalled 4,925 drug shortages in 2023, compared to 3,761 in 2022 and 2,160 in 2021.

A 2024 survey from France Assos Santé, which represents patients, found that 44 per cent of people in France said they had faced a drug shortage this year.

One of the pharmacy unions in France has even planned a strike at the end of the month over drug shortages and what they say is worsening access to care.

Each health organisation contributed an article with recommendations for dealing with the drug shortages.

The League Against Cancer urged complete transparency on drug shortages and potential substitutions for health professionals.

They also called for monitoring of medicine stocks and their location in the country to guarantee equal access.

The organisation found in a survey published in February that 78 per cent of health professionals in oncology had been faced with a drug shortage.

Drug shortages or delays have led to anxiety among cancer patients, lost time, and worsening symptoms, the organisation said.

France Assos Santé, meanwhile, wrote that an urgent response should not be to support “the industrial sector which bears serious responsibilities” for abandoning the production of less profitable drugs, relocating drug production, and keeping insufficient medicine stocks.

They would like any cost increases justified by production costs or the risk of withdrawing a drug from the market due to it being unprofitable. They called for cost evaluations to be made public.

Their concerns also range from the use of public money to bring drug production to Europe to new government plans to prevent shortages.

Some changes at the EU level criticised

Last year, the European Commission announced several measures to reform the pharmaceutical industry and address critical drug shortages.

The European Parliament went on to adopt a position on pharmaceutical reform last month, that included “incentives for innovation” and an effort to limit overuse of antibiotics.

The non-profit organisation Prescrire, which focuses on information about medicine, wrote in a chapter they contributed to the report that while some of the European Commission’s measures were welcome, others were concerning.

One of the many measures they rejected included the Commission’s proposal to reduce the number of days of scientific evaluation of drugs from 210 to 180, which they said was necessary time rather than an “administrative obstacle”.

While the NGO welcomed some measures such as government drug shortage prevention plans, it said the Commission should allow EU states to require pharmaceutical companies to have safety stocks of medicine and sanction those that do not respect them.

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French consumer organisation UFC-Que Choisir and the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) said that they had hoped MEPs would shorten the length of time for “data protection” to allow generic medicines to be marketed more quickly.

Instead, MEPs approved shortening the period to 7.5 years, “which is almost the same duration as the current 8 years [yet] within the framework of the text adopted by Parliament, companies can gain additional months of protection under certain conditions to reach a total of 8.5 years,” UFC-Que Choisir said.

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France reported 4,925 drug shortages in 2023, up from 3,761 in 2022 and 2,160 in 2021.

A 2024 survey found that 44% of people in France had faced a drug shortage, causing patient anxiety and worsening symptoms.

The FDA declared a nationwide Adderall shortage in 2022 due to manufacturing delays.

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Content: Nationwide Adderall shortage impacting area pharmacies in the Panhandle

Published: Oct. 19, 2022 at 5:07 PM CDT|Updated: 19 minutes ago

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - The Food and Drug Administration has declared a nationwide Adderall shortage and the Panhandle is feeling the affects.

The FDA blames the shortage on manufacturing delays.

Health experts say a shortage in stimulant medications is actually not a rare occurrence.

“The amount of medication that is produced is limited and regulated by the government, so there have been other years where towards the end of the year in particular, we start to struggle with supply issues. In this case, however, while that does seem to be probably one of the contributing factors, the other issue we’re facing, at least what we’re hearing about it right now, is that the manufacturing delays have been an issue and some of that has been secondary to the labor shortages,” said Dr. Carolyn Lentsch-Parcells, pediatrician and assistant professor at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.

Martin Tipton Pharmacy is being impacted by this shortage.

“We’re having to order from various manufacturers right now, not our normal manufactures just because we cannot get them from our normal ones,” said Mark Vogler, Martin Tipton Pharmacy.

Fortunately its patients have been able to get their needed medication, just a different brand.

Amarillo Pharmacy is also being impacted, saying the drug has been back ordered for the past two months.

The Amarillo Pharmaceutical Care Center at Texas Tech Physicians is also seeing a back order on one of the strengths of the drug.

“The drug company manufacturers short-acting and extended-release, for example. So, a pharmacist, in this situation, will work collaboratively with the patient’s provider to find an available strength and dosage to meet the patient’s needs until the original strength becomes available again,” said Amarillo Pharmaceutical Care Center at Texas Tech Physicians.

Dr. Lentsch-Parcells acknowledged this may be an uneasy time for those depending on Adderall, especially with the end of the semester and holidays approaching. She encourages you to reach out to your providers.

“There are various strategies that we will sometimes use to help our patients get the best care possible, while we are trying to ride out the shortage, so that might be changing dosage or using dosage forms that are available to replace their typical medication,” said Dr. Lentsch-Parcells

She emphasizes not to make any changes to your medications without speaking to your providers first.

Pharmacy chains, like CVS and Walgreens, both confirm they are seeing intermittent supply issues with the generic form of the drug.

Manufacturing delays and labor shortages are contributing to the Adderall shortage, and pharmacies are experiencing back orders due to the shortage.

15 cancer drugs are in short supply due to manufacturing and supply chain issues.

Title:

Content: NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – While this shortage of chemotherapy drugs stretches across the country, 22News looks at how the limited amounts of potentially life-saving drugs are impacting cancer care in our area.

It’s a problem, so acute it was recognized by the Biden Administration just last month. The White House noted there’s a shortage of 15 cancer drugs due to manufacturing and supply chain issues.

22News asked Pharmacy Director Michelle Kososki at Mass General Brigham Cooley Dickinson Hospital, to rate the shortage experienced locally on a scale, 5 being a critical shortage and 1 being no shortage at all, “right now I would probably say it is a four. We only have a very small supply of one particular drug.”

Pharmacy Director Michelle Kososki said drug shortages are not uncommon in the healthcare industry however, when faced with potentially life-saving drugs it can get complicated, “Anytime there is a shortage, there’s a risk of not being able to treat patients. Obviously, that is something we want to avoid and we work to the best of our ability with creative solutions to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Nurse Manager Lisa Martensson at Mass General Care Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital told 22News, “There’s always the ethical issues of who gets the drug that’s available. It’s supply and demand as you said and looking at what folks had for their disease which ones needed to be treated faster than others based on the aggressiveness of their disease. Those things played in but it was a really difficult decision to sit down and try and decide who would get the drug. We were never in a position where we had to deny anybody.”

Cancer patient Norman Uzdavinis of Whately said he was very concerned when he first heard of the shortage, “I had wondered where in the chemotherapy I would be at, would it have to be delayed for months or years if possible.”

Uzdavinis has not had his medical care compromised but feels for those who have, “I feel for them. I know what I’m going through and that everything is here so it’s perfect for me, but there’s a lot out there that are not as fortunate. I know that.”

“Healthcare providers here were able to mitigate the shortage by using a couple of different tactics. For example, they could switch up a patient’s medication regimen,” Nurse Manager Lisa Martensson said.

“What we did do was use drugs that were in the same classification but not necessarily that specific drug. There are also drug regimens where we could switch around the order to which we gave the drugs so if there was a drug that wasn’t available we are able to do one of the drugs that was available first and do that second drug second. That was able to work out so people didn’t do without and they were able to get what they needed,” Martensson continued.

According to the FDA, the shortage started when one of the major manufacturers of the chemo drug, Accord Healthcare, a company based in India, had to shut down after problems complying with good manufacturing practices were found during an inspection. Now, there is an increased demand from other companies that make these kinds of drugs.

22News contacted some other of the manufacturers of these drugs. Pfizer said they are increasing production by about 40 percent to meet this increased demand.

Local News

Alanna Flood is a reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2022. Follow Alanna on X @alannafloodnews and view her bio to see more of her work.

The shortage of chemotherapy drugs is impacting cancer care locally and nationwide.

Pharmacy Director Michelle Kososki rated the local shortage a 4 out of 5, citing a near depletion of all but one drug.

The US is experiencing a drug shortage, with ADHD medications being just one example.

Over 135 drugs, including cancer chemotherapy drugs, are in short supply, the FDA reports.

A survey by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists found that one-third of 1,100 hospitals had to alter prescriptions due to drug shortages.

Jordan's Ministry of Health owes pharmaceutical companies 300 million dinars, causing medication shortages due to delayed payments.

Title:

Content: Lack of medicines in MOH hospitals and accumulation of indebtedness Repercussions / solutions
3 hours ago
Dr. Naeem Malkawi
The problem of shortage of medicines in Jordanian hospitals requires quick and effective attention and intervention, as providing medicines to patients is one of the foundations of quality health care and one of the most important strategies of the Ministry of Health, however, the shortage of medicines in many hospitals leads to health, economic and social challenges that threaten the quality of health care and patient safety.
The budget of the Ministry of Health of medicines, vaccines, vaccines and medical consumables for this year 2023 was estimated at 103.75 million dinars, where the actual for the past year 2022 was 93.8 million dinars.
The question is, how did the Ministry of Health accumulate such a large indebtedness in the item of medicines to reach 300 million dinars for pharmaceutical companies?
And why last week was the debt of 2019 cleared and deducted estimated at 50% of the debt for that year?
This means that there is still a delay in the payment of dues for companies for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022 in addition to eight months of the current year 2023, and this brings us to a range of reasons and challenges:
1.
The aim of the Ministry of Health was to reduce the bureaucracy of procedures and overcome the complexity of procurement references in hospitals and health directorates in the governorates and not to obtain price and discount preferences, but the results indicate a defect in the management and mechanism of dealing with the strategy of unified and central procurement, despite the margin for hospital administrations to use the power of direct purchase in cases of necessity.
2.
Preparation of sub-budgets for hospitals: Evidence shows that there is a problem in the preparation of sub-budgets for hospitals and the main budget of the Ministry of Health with regard to the item of medicines, which is due to the lack of accurate and sufficient data on the number of patients and hospital needs of medicines, and the lack of accurate forecasting of future needs.
3.
Delays in the review of financial claims and invoices between the Ministry of Health and the hospitals on the one hand and the pharmaceutical companies on the other hand, is one of the most important reasons behind the accumulation of indebtedness, and this negatively affects the liquidity of the pharmaceutical companies and hinders them from providing a sustainable service in adhering to the procedures of supplying medicines according to schedule.
4.
Lack of coordination and communication: There may be a lack of coordination and communication between hospitals, the Ministry of Health and pharmaceutical companies, which complicates the supply and distribution of medicines and increases the chances of delays and the depletion of medicines from hospitals in the absence of an effective policy for stock management and the time required for stock adequacy.
5.
Focusing on the trade names of certain drugs from specific production sources and not adopting the protocol of writing the scientific name for the prescriptions of patients.
6.
One of the reasons that may be major and important at the same time is the funding aspect and the lack of the necessary allocations or use them in other aspects other than medicines to fill a deficit or emergency during the use of budget items due to the scarcity of available liquidity. Medication.
Lack of medication can lead to:
1.
Threat to patient safety: Lack of medication puts sick people at risk, as this can lead to delays in receiving necessary treatment or the unavailability of vital drugs, putting their lives at risk.
2.
Economic Implications: The lack of medicines entails additional economic costs for the health system and patients.
Medical cases may be referred to other medical centers or private hospitals, increasing pressure on other MOH budget items.
3.
Pressure on health care workers: Health care workers are under pressure as a result of dealing with patients affected by drug shortages and repeatedly facing their inquiries and complaints.
4.
Social repercussions:
Increased anxiety and stress: A lack of medication can lead to an increase in anxiety and stress among patients and their families, as they live in uncertainty about the availability of the necessary treatment.
Lack of medication can affect the level of trust in the health system among citizens, who may feel that the system is unable to provide them with adequate health care.
Increased costs and social burdens: Some patients may have to incur additional costs to obtain drugs from other sources outside hospitals, affecting their financial and economic status.
After all this narrative there must be ways to overcome these dilemmas:
1.
Preparation of budgets scientifically and professionally: Hospitals should develop more accurate standards for the preparation of sub-budgets for medicines, through the analysis of previous data, estimation of future needs and other scientific and methodological foundations in the preparation of budgets and commitment to apply them accurately.
2.
Improve coordination and communication between parties: Coordination between the Ministry of Health, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies should be strengthened through the establishment of structured mechanisms for information exchange, review of invoices, and completion of claims, and not delay them.
3.
Implementation of fiscal reforms: The Government and the Ministry of Health should implement fiscal reforms that provide funding to cover this important item and pay dues in a timely manner, reduce bureaucracy in the financial audit process, and proceed with payment procedures within the timetable mechanism agreed in the tender terms.
4.
Achieving social responsibility: The government and pharmaceutical companies should adopt a social responsibility towards patients by providing these drugs and reducing their prices in the market to make them more accessible to patients while relieving part of the pressure and burden on hospitals.
Addressing the problem of drug shortages in government hospitals requires comprehensive cooperation between all concerned parties from government, Ministry of Health, hospitals, drug suppliers and patients.
To provide medicines on a permanent basis and to ensure the provision of high quality health care to the Jordanian patient.

The shortage of medicines in Jordanian hospitals threatens healthcare quality and patient safety.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the antifungal drugs market in 2020 due to supply chain disruptions and social distancing rules.

Title:

Content: Antifungal Drugs Market Growth Challenges, Business Trends and Industry Outlook

San Francisco, Calif., USA, Mar 03, 2023 — /EPR Network/ —

Antifungal Drugs Industry Overview

The global antifungal drugs market size was valued at USD 15.30 billion in 2022 and is projected to witness at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.74% from 2023 to 2030. The growing prevalence of fungal infections such as aspergillosis and candidiasis is one of the key factors propelling the market. Fungal infections encompass both systemic and superficial infections including infections of the skin, eye, mouth, and vagina. Antifungal products with fungicidal activity are mostly used to treat a wide array of diseases, such as athlete’s foot, ringworm, and fungal meningitis, caused by fungal agents. Moreover, mounting cases of patients suffering from hospital-acquired or nosocomial infections and infectious diseases are poised to propel the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Fungal diseases are a public health problem as they can affect any individual. However, there is a severe threat of fungal infections to people with weak immune responses such as patients with AIDS. There is a high possibility of the development of opportunistic fungal infections in these patients. According to statistics published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2016, every year, nearly 220,000 new individuals are affected by cryptococcal meningitis, which is a brain infection and has resulted in 181,000 deaths per year around the world. Most of the deaths are reported in sub-Saharan Africa, as the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is more in these countries.

Gather more insights about the market drivers, restraints, and growth of the Global Antifungal Drugs market

The COVID-19 outbreak is predicted to restrain the market for antifungal drugs over the forecast period. The COVID-19 virus has spread to nearly all countries on the earth since its discovery in December 2019, causing the World Health Organization (WHO) to announce it as a public medical emergency. In the pneumonia cases, COVID-19, a novel coronavirus, was confirmed as the causative culprit. This virus quickly spread over the globe, killing a great number of individuals. The WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020, and strict measures to halt the disease’s spread were suggested. The pandemic has slowed the development of the healthcare industry and disturbed the supply chain since then.

The market for antifungal medications was impacted by flight limitations during the first quarter of 2020. The antifungal medicine business has been affected by supply chain disruption and strict social distancing rules. The unblocking of economies during the 2nd quarter of 2020, however, has resurrected the market for antifungal drugs, which had been stalling. Moreover, in order to stem the spread of COVID-19, government authorities in a majority of countries have ordered nationwide lockdowns. Similarly, health systems in a number of countries around the world were having trouble maintaining their supply chains. The slowness of the supply chain has also impacted the demand for antifungal medications.

The ongoing public-private partnership agreements in the pharmaceutical industry for the development of novel therapeutics are projected to offer tremendous growth opportunities to the market for antifungal drugs. For example, CARB-X, an international public-private partnership, is anticipated to provide around USD 350 million in the coming five years to boost the R&D pipeline. Partners involved are the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Antimicrobial Resistance Centre in England, and Boston University School of Law. A considerably large range of antifungal preparations, both topical and oral agents such as creams, sprays, tablets, and injections, are commercially available in the market for antifungal drugs. The rising popularity of over-the-counter antifungal drugs for dermal infections is further escalating market growth. However, the expiration of patents on branded therapeutics and the availability of counterfeit drugs are estimated to impede the growth of the market for antifungal drugs over the forecast period.

Browse through Grand View Research’s Pharmaceuticals Industry Research Reports.

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Monkeypox Vaccine and Treatment Market – The global monkeypox vaccine and treatment market size was valued at USD 85.23 million in 2022 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.16% from 2022 to 2030.

Antifungal Drugs Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global antifungal drugs market by drug class, indication, dosage form, distribution channel and region:

Antifungal Drug Class Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 – 2030)

  • Azoles
  • Echinocandins
  • Polyenes
  • Allylamines
  • Others

Antifungal Drugs Indication Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 – 2030)

  • Dermatophytosis
  • Aspergillosis
  • Candidiasis
  • Others

Antifungal Drugs Dosage Form Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 – 2030)

  • Oral Drugs
  • Ointments
  • Powders
  • Others

Antifungal Drugs Distribution Channel Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 – 2030)

  • Hospital Pharmacies
  • Retails Pharmacies
  • Others

Antifungal Drugs Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 – 2030)

  • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia Pacific
  • Latin America
  • Middle East and Africa

Market Share Insights

July 2018: Sato Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Eisai Co., Ltd. announced release of NAILIN oral antifungal tablets in Japan for the treatment of onychomycosis.

June 2016: Merck entered into definitive agreement to acquire Afferent Pharmaceuticals.

Key Companies profiled:

Some of the prominent players in the antifungal drugs market include:

  • Novartis AG
  • Pfizer, Inc.
  • Bayer AG
  • Sanofi
  • Merck & Co., Inc.
  • GlaxoSmithKline plc
  • Abbott
  • Glenmark
  • Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  • Astellas Pharma, Inc.

Order a free sample PDF of the Antifungal Drugs Market Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research.

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The antifungal medicine business was impacted by flight limitations in Q1 2020, but recovered in Q2 2020.

US medicine shortages rose 30% in 2022 from 2021, and a shortage of critical drugs poses a national security threat to the US.

Title:

Content: The New York Times Original
Continue reading Growing drug shortage in the United States has become a threat to national security
The shortage of medicines in the United States last year increased compared to 2021 by 30%, according to The New York Times.
However, the article notes that the growing shortage of inexpensive but critical drugs poses a national security threat to the United States.
The growing shortage of inexpensive but critical drugs poses a threat to U.S. national security and forces hospitals to make “terrible ” choices, writes The New York Times, citing a report prepared for hearings in the U.S. Senate.
According to this report, the shortage of medicines last year increased by almost 30% compared to 2021, with an average shortage of medicines observed for 18 months, and for some drugs – 15 years.
Among the drugs in short supply are conventional antibiotics and anesthetics, the article said.
Senator Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan and chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, said that these problems are related to economic factors, an opaque supply chain and the fact that 80% to 90% of some products are made abroad.
“Taken together, these underlying causes not only raise serious concerns about ensuring proper patient care, but also pose a serious threat to national security, ” Peters said.
Dr. Andrew Schumann, an oncology surgeon from Michigan, told senators at the hearing that the shortage of drugs in his field is "a tragedy occurring in slow motion."
As Schumann noted, recently due to the shortage of one cheap, but well-proven cancer drug, he had to choose which patients will receive this drug.
The article notes that many of the cheapest drugs tend to be made in countries such as India and China, where they are inexpensive to manufacture.
However, this concentration of production capacity creates an additional level of vulnerability to problems such as natural disasters and political unrest, emphasizes The New York Times.
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Medicine shortages typically last 18 months, but can persist for up to 15 years.

Drugs like antibiotics and anesthetics are in short supply, and economic factors, an opaque supply chain, and significant foreign production contribute to the shortage.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the country's 15 most scarce drugs, including antibiotics and medications for fever and diarrhea.

Title:

Content: The lack of drugs caused public resentment, the Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday (27th) held a press conference to announce the 15 most scarce drugs in the country, including antibiotics, fever, diarrhea, etc., and the Director of Health Insurance Shi Chongliang also stressed that the price of drugs will not be adjusted this year. It costs 33% on a single charge, because the cost of the project is much higher than the health insurance price.
From 2015 to 2023, the problem that you want to rely on a press conference to solve? It only shows that the authorities have no plans at all, and the pharmacists have to continue to work hard on their own.
"I sometimes feel that pharmacists put too much of their social responsibility, but at the same time, I am glad that these pharmacists are willing to bear heavy burdens to keep our years quiet." Facebook fan "Sanbao · pharmacist · God Uncle" pointed out in a Facebook post today (28), why is there a shortage of drugs? The number of drugs in the department is not enough to supply the prescription prescribed by the hospital clinic. "
But it is not because of raw materials, because of capacity, or because of the supply chain, which depends on these people who have the resources to trace the source.
Sanbao pharmacist stressed, "before 2020 you say lack of medicine, the Food and Drug Department will tell you that you do not check the word may be fined 3 million!" At that time, he and a friend and a fan group have been reminding the Association of pharmacists to pay attention to lack of medicine, do not hold annual garden parade to whitewash the peace, of course, this argument at that time few people accept, after all, the lottery is what the public like.
And the problem that started in 2015 and continued to swing into 2023, now that I want a press conference to solve? This is as difficult as Xiao Xu getting married before the end of the year and performing a double transformation at the wedding.
Three Treasures Pharmacist bluntly said that yesterday's press conference only highlighted that the authorities had no planning at all, and even the original three-tong policy was an entire situation.
"In my opinion, pharmacists have to continue to work on their own!" To put it mildly, the magnesium oxide produced by the government project (soft stool, acid preparation, 110 years of health insurance use of 250 million pills), pharmacists will pay 33% for each order, because the cost of the project is much higher than the health insurance price.
The pharmacist who is serious about finding drugs to help patients is on the road of the Chao Pharma-Buddha. "There are three children in my family, and it is really impossible to be like the chairman of the board of directors who do not care about remuneration."
# Cai Government # Lack of Drugs # Food and Drug Administration # Ministry of Health and Welfare # Scrap

The Director of Health Insurance said drug prices will not be adjusted this year.

Pharmacists pay 33% more than the health insurance price for certain drugs like magnesium oxide.

The Ukraine-Russia conflict caused Taiwan's biggest drug shortage in 30 years in 2021.

Title:

Content: The epidemic disrupted the supply chain, coupled with the shortage of raw materials caused by the war between Ukraine and Russia, caused the "biggest shortage of drugs in 30 years" in Taiwan at the beginning of last year. With the coming of the Chinese New Year, patients are worried about hoarding goods, and I am afraid that the shortage of drugs will become more serious.
A domestic pharmaceutical company recently received a call from a patient, the original patient has a heart disease, has been taking self-funded drugs, but recently faced the problem of lack of drugs, the doctor can not prescribe the same drugs, so the patient urgently asked the pharmaceutical company directly.
The drug factory staff, who did not want to be named, revealed that "it is not only this patient, but these patients even set up groups to find out where they can buy drugs, forcing them to call us after they have no way out."
Wang Ming-yuan, deputy spokesman of the All Federation of Pharmacists Association, said: "Last year, the shortage of drugs was the most serious situation since the outbreak of the epidemic, resulting in lack of labor and logistics. Now, with the release of the epidemic, the shortage of drugs has slowed down slightly.
For example, many patients with allergic rhinitis have been short of medicine for four months, Wang says, "Because it contains ephedrine, which is a controlled drug, the FDA only puts two batches of raw materials a year, so it is easy to run out of medicine.
Another reason for the shortage of drugs is the price of health insurance drugs. Due to the price cut, about 36% of the market share of "tears point eye" withdrew from the health insurance market in November last year. The drug used in the past in the health insurance annual consumption of more than 2.3 million bottles, which is equivalent to 190,000 bottles per month. And...
Shen Tsai-ying, a pharmacist, criticized officials for only treating head pain and foot pain. She said that the price of "love tears" health insurance is more expensive, health insurance has not saved money at all, and now even the domestically produced "Wufu" and other artificial tears brands are all out of stock.
Shen Caiying predicts that this wave of artificial tears shortage will continue until at least the Spring Festival.
Since the implementation of the "Drug Expenses Target System" (DET) in 102 years, the National Health Insurance Administration has set the target value of annual drug expenditure to maintain a stable and reasonable range of drug expenses. Under the total payment system, effective control of drug expenditure. Last year, the total drug price was reduced by 8.18 billion yuan, and the price of 5,500 drugs was reduced.
"The price of water and electricity is rising, but the price of health insurance has been cut!"
Shen Caiying pointed out that the price of drugs is constantly being cut, and pharmaceutical companies have no choice but to withdraw from the health insurance market, which has led to a more serious shortage of drugs.
In recent years, the Red Sea has been involved in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and it has been attacked by Yemeni youth movement organizations, endangering the traffic of commercial ships. Large shipping companies have announced that they will stop sailing in the Red Sea and switch to the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa, resulting in soaring freight costs. 180% increase.
Wang Ming-yuan laments that the situation at the freight gate will probably be the same as during the epidemic, and that the shortage of medicines will certainly increase, and with the arrival of the Chinese New Year, the public's "stockpiling" mentality will probably trigger a wave of drug snatching.
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# Lack of medicine # Red Sea crisis # Lack of medicine # Original medicine

Patients with heart disease lacked access to self-funded drugs, forcing them to seek help from pharmaceutical companies.

Most hospital pharmacists are reporting a critical shortage of chemotherapy drugs.

Title:

Content: As drug shortage list grows, many hospitals face tough decisions on rationing care

More than half of hospital pharmacists are reporting a critical shortage of chemotherapy drugs and nearly all are reporting overall medicine supply gaps as prescription drug shortages near an all time high, according to a new survey.

Hospital pharmacists said drug shortages have forced 1 in 3 health systems to delay, cancel or ration care or switch to alternate drugs to continue to treat patients. And 99% are reporting some drug supply shortages, an American Society of Health-System Pharmacists survey of more than 1,000 pharmacists released Thursday found.

The organization reported shortages of 309 drugs, near the all-time high of 320 shortages in 2014. The scarcity of key drugs is prompting hospitals to find or substitute drugs and change treatment plans as needed.

“In some cases, there are no alternatives to the affected drugs, which puts patients at risk," ASHP Chief Executive Officer Paul W. Abramowitz said in a statement. "This issue requires quick action from Congress to address the underlying causes of shortages and ensure patients have the medications they need.”

Cancer drug shortages

In June, the Food and Drug Administration said it will temporarily allow overseas drug manufacturers to import some chemotherapy drugs.

The FDA allowed Qilu Pharmaceutical, a drug manufacturer in China, to import the injectable chemotherapy drug cisplatin in 50-milligram vials. Toronto pharmaceutical company Apotex Corp. will distribute the medication in the United States.

More than a dozen cancer drugs have been in shortage in recent months, including cisplatin and carboplatin, used to treat lung, breast, prostate and gynecologic cancers. The National Cancer Institute said cisplatin and similar drugs are prescribed for 10% to 20% of all cancer patients.

In June, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network released a survey of 27 academic cancer centers that found 93% reported shortages of carboplatin and 70% faced shortages of cisplatin.

When cancer hospitals face such shortages, they attempt to make sure there's enough medication for patients to finish the course of treatment, said Mike Ganio, ASHP's senior director of pharmacy practice and quality.

Cancer hospitals facing such shortages might change medications for new patients starting on chemotherapy, said Ganio, a former pharmacy manager at an academic cancer center.

"You try to keep that patient on the same regimen as much as you can, unless they're failing it for some reason, and then you would switch," Ganio said.

Steroids, hormonal drugs also in short supply

More than 1 in 5 hospital pharmacists also reported shortages for steroids, hormonal drugs and oral liquids such as lidocaine, ibuprofen and amoxicillin.

A smaller number of pharmacists said heart medications, emergency prefilled syringes and drugs used for intensive care unit patients were in short supply. Others reported shortages of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medicines, antimicrobial drugs and injectable opioids.

In all, about two-thirds of pharmacists said the shortages were "moderately impactful," which means they are managing shortages but patients are affected.

Pharmacists are managing the shortages by offering therapeutic alternatives, buying different vial sizes or concentrations and rationing medicines.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Survey: Drug shortages are widespread, hospitals ration care

Hospital pharmacists are reporting widespread medicine supply gaps amid near-record prescription drug shortages.

One-third of health systems have delayed, cancelled or rationed care due to drug shortages.

There are currently 309 drug shortages, nearing the all-time high of 320 in 2014.

Hospitals are substituting drugs and changing treatment plans due to key drug scarcity.

No alternatives exist for some affected drugs, putting patients at risk.

The FDA has temporarily allowed overseas drug manufacturers to import some chemotherapy drugs, including cisplatin.

Over a dozen cancer drugs, including cisplatin and carboplatin, are in short supply.

Cisplatin and similar drugs are prescribed for 10% to 20% of cancer patients.

Most academic cancer centers reported shortages of carboplatin (93%) and cisplatin (70%).

Shortages have been reported for various medications, including steroids, heart medications, and intensive care drugs.

About two-thirds of pharmacists said shortages were 'moderately impactful', affecting patients despite being manageable.

Pharmacists are managing shortages by offering alternatives, adjusting purchases, and rationing medicines.