Between 2021 and 2024, global medication shortages have severely impacted critical drugs such as sterile injectable generics, chemotherapy agents, antibiotics, and diabetes treatments, with the U.S. reporting a record high of 323 drugs in shortage by early 2024.

In Europe, countries like Italy and Germany have faced shortages of antibiotics, pediatric painkillers, and blood pressure medications, driven by inflation, supply chain disruptions, and reliance on production in Asia.

Supply chain vulnerabilities, including reliance on raw materials from India and China, manufacturing delays, and geopolitical factors, have been identified as key contributors to these shortages globally.

Healthcare systems have responded by implementing strategies such as centralized drug shortage treatment centers, therapeutic substitutions, and promoting domestic production of essential medications.

For example, Taiwan has optimized drug supply communication and encouraged local manufacturing, while the European Union has proposed stricter supply obligations and joint procurement initiatives.

Caretakers can prepare for shortages by maintaining a reserve supply of critical medications for chronic conditions and staying informed through health authority updates and drug supply platforms.

Engaging with healthcare providers to explore alternative treatments or generic substitutes is crucial during prolonged shortages, ensuring continuity of care for patients with life-threatening conditions.

Ethical considerations in allocating scarce medications emphasize fairness and transparency, balancing individual needs with the common good, particularly during shortages of life-saving drugs like chemotherapy agents.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragility of global supply chains, prompting governments and organizations to improve stockpiles, diversify production, and foster partnerships to mitigate future crises.

Between 2021 and 2024, global medication shortages have severely impacted critical drugs such as sterile injectable generics, chemotherapy agents, antibiotics, and diabetes treatments, with the U.S. reporting a record high of 323 drugs in shortage by early 2024.

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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.
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In Europe, countries like Italy and Germany have faced shortages of antibiotics, pediatric painkillers, and blood pressure medications, driven by inflation, supply chain disruptions, and reliance on production in Asia.

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The media learned about the problems with the supply of the largest in the EU pharmaceutical company
Politico: pharmaceutical company Sandoz announced a tense situation with the supply of drugs in Europe
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Sandoz, one of the largest manufacturers in the European drug market, reported a tense supply situation in the pharmaceutical industry in Europe.
This was reported by Politico on Sunday, January 29.
The authors of the material note that problems in pharmaceutical companies, which began during the coronavirus pandemic, are now complicated by inflation and a serious energy crisis, affecting supplies.
As pointed out by a representative of the company Sandoz, by the end of last year there was a particularly tense situation with supplies.
“The pharmaceutical industry is also affected by the shortage of raw materials and the limitation of production capacity.
The company is currently able to meet demand, but faces difficulties, ” Sandoz said.
Since the end of 2022, many European Union (EU) countries have reported serious problems with the supply of some important medicines.
Thus, the authors write, the Belgian authorities report a shortage of almost 300 names of drugs.
In Germany, this number is 408, and in Austria more than 600 names of drugs can not be bought in pharmacies.
Italy ’ s list is even longer – it includes more than 3,000 drugs.
"Antibiotics, especially amoxicillin, which is used to treat respiratory infections, are in short supply.
Other classes of drugs, including cough syrup, pediatric paracetamol, and blood pressure medications, are also scarce.
Earlier, on January 17, the Minister of health of Italy Orazio Skillaci said that in the country there is a problem of shortage of drugs and the responsibility for this lies with the media.
According to Skillaci, due to the fact that local media spread "alarming information" about the lack of certain drugs, there is a "ricochet effect" - when patients begin to massively buy drugs for future use, which leads to problems with the provision of pharmacies and medical institutions with the necessary drugs.
Earlier, on January 10, Australian pharmacists reported an acute shortage of antibiotics for pneumonia and pharyngitis, which arose due to a violation of the schedule of deliveries from abroad.
The shortage of drugs in mid-December was also reported by the German authorities.
In particular, it was about drugs and antipyretics for children, as well as antibiotics for adults and cancer drugs.
Problems in the economy, accompanied by an energy crisis and rising inflation, have intensified in Western countries after the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions against the background of the special operation of the Russian Federation to protect the Donbass, the beginning of which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24.
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Supply chain vulnerabilities, including reliance on raw materials from India and China, manufacturing delays, and geopolitical factors, have been identified as key contributors to these shortages globally.

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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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Healthcare systems have responded by implementing strategies such as centralized drug shortage treatment centers, therapeutic substitutions, and promoting domestic production of essential medications.

Title:

Content: The lack of medicine continues to burn!
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has proposed a short, medium and long-term strategy to deal with the current 5 coping mechanisms.
Journalist Yen Zhenzhen / Taipei Report
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the shortage of drugs is not a single factor, but includes supply problems, manufacturing problems, clinical demand factors, uneven distribution of drugs, drug use habits and drug prices. In addition to dealing with the relatively high clinical demand items, it is properly allocated to all levels of medical institutions and pharmacies to fully meet the needs of clinical end-use drugs.
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In the face of the shortage of drugs, Wang said, the existing health insurance uses five major coping mechanisms, including 1, a single processing window, a dedicated person to help deal with the problem of drug purchase, and contact the Food and Drug Administration to put relevant information on the website of the NHI. (4) Drug price adjustment mechanism that does not meet the cost can be re-checked according to the way of raising the price of special drugs; (5) Alternative drugs can still declare the cost, if they are not irreplaceable, they can be replaced at the same price or lower than the original prescription drug price.
In addition, Wang pointed out that in the face of the international epidemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and labor shortage, drug shortage is a problem facing all countries. In order to strengthen the stable supply mechanism of drugs in China, the Ministry of Health and Welfare continues to actively respond to the short-term strategy to solve the problem of drug shortage. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the pharmaceutical industry have made every effort to actively arrange production lines, strive for early import, increase production / import quantity, and properly distribute to all levels of medical institutions and pharmacies to fully meet the demand for clinical end use drugs.
In addition, to properly handle the issue of drug price adjustment, the Central Health Insurance Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare intends to implement the "Universal Health Insurance Cost Distribution Target System (DET)" in April this year, which will adjust the number of drug prices and adjust the quota in a suitable manner, taking into account factors such as the epidemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war and inflation.
In terms of medium-term strategy, Wang said that he will establish a permanent drug shortage treatment center and optimize drug supply information transmission.
In order to speed up the handling of drug shortage incidents, we will adopt dedicated personnel and cross-departmental cooperation to develop drug shortage prevention policies to prevent drug shortage in advance, strengthen cross-departmental data integration and proactive monitoring to detect drug shortage incidents at an early stage, and intervene early through cross-departmental cooperation to stabilize drug supply.
At the same time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to disseminate drug supply and alternative drug information through various channels. In addition to posting on the “Drug Supply Information Platform ”, the FDA will notify medical institutions and pharmacies through VPN, and weekly letters to relevant medical associations and public associations to inform members. Management system.
In the long-term strategy section, it includes reviewing the current health insurance drug pricing policy and encouraging the production of domestically manufactured generic drugs.
Wang Bi-sheng pointed out that in the review of the current health insurance drug price policy, including the development of the price protection of indicative drugs, drug price review for the lack of drugs; start the review of drug expenditure target (DET), plan the establishment of a risk control mechanism, plan the national unified procurement trial plan; comprehensively review the health insurance drug price policy, give an appropriate price protection mechanism for necessary drugs, and also target the patent period. To encourage the production of domestic manufacturers to ensure that when there is a shortage of original pharmaceutical products, there are domestic famous drugs to respond.
Wang also stressed that the Food and Drug Administration has set up a "Drug Supply Information Platform" (https: / / dsms.fda.gov.tw /), reporting hotline (02) 27878249. If medical institutions and pharmacies have any shortage of drugs, they can go to the platform for enquiry or notification, and the department will deal with it immediately.
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For example, Taiwan has optimized drug supply communication and encouraged local manufacturing, while the European Union has proposed stricter supply obligations and joint procurement initiatives.

Caretakers can prepare for shortages by maintaining a reserve supply of critical medications for chronic conditions and staying informed through health authority updates and drug supply platforms.

Title:

Content: MOSCOW, 19 Mar — PRIME.
Foreign drugs will not disappear from the sale - such prerequisites currently do not exist and, most likely, they will not arise.
At the same time, now there are certain interruptions in supplies, including those associated with high demand, Nikolai Bespalov, Director for Development of RNC Pharma, tells the Prime Agency.
The expert explains that if the demand increases by a factor for some products, then no stocks in the distribution chain will be able to close this hype.
“If earlier five people came to the pharmacy a day for insulin, and now 50-100, it is clear that the distribution chain is not ready for such volumes.
It is also clear that individuals who apply for this product may face the fact that it simply will not be at a particular moment in time, ” he said.
Of course, both distributors and pharmacies "react to this situation, but their capabilities in this regard are limited."
Manufacturers also can not always quickly increase the volume of shipments - this is a logistically difficult task, but in addition, the simultaneous discharge of the entire volume of goods increases the risk of shortages in the future, explains Bespalov.
However, the excitement will not last indefinitely.
“In the next 2-3 weeks, the situation in terms of excitement will fade – people will make stocks for critical positions for life support and maintenance of health in relation to chronic diseases – and the support system will work in a more rhythmic way.
It is unlikely that the situation will be as calm as in pre-crisis times, but deliveries are likely to normalize, ” the expert assured.
In his opinion, the current situation still can not be called a deficit - the goods have both distributors and manufacturers' warehouses.
Under normal conditions, at different stages of the distribution network, up to a six-month need is stored, but in a crisis, these stocks of drugs can be used up relatively quickly.
Therefore, the main task is to prevent the complete washing out of such drugs from warehouses so that they are enough for everyone who really needs them, the expert believes.
"Now there are certain restrictions on the release of certain food products, for example, sugar, perhaps something similar will need to be done in relation to drugs," Bespalov believes.
At the same time, for patients suffering from chronic diseases, a sufficient amount is a reserve, calculated for the period from 3 to 6 months, it allows you to solve problems with possible interruptions in supplies.
“Now it is necessary to minimize the hype, reduce panic — especially, there are no real prerequisites for stopping the supply of pharmaceutical products — none of the significant suppliers does not talk about the possibility of suspending supplies as sanctions.
And if the goods will have manufacturers, it means that it will be in the commodity distribution chain, and the situation with interruptions will be solved in the working mode, "concludes Nikolai Bespalov.

Engaging with healthcare providers to explore alternative treatments or generic substitutes is crucial during prolonged shortages, ensuring continuity of care for patients with life-threatening conditions.

Title:

Content: Drug department: it is necessary to inform patients as quickly as possible about the occurrence of a deficiency
Drug department: it is necessary to inform patients as quickly as possible about the occurrence of a deficiency
The end of last year caused a real pharmacy fever: parents could not find children's antipyretic syrups and a number of antibiotics.
People with chronic diseases have lost their feet in search of life-saving drugs.
Public figure Lachin Aliyev asked why representatives of relevant institutions do not try to mitigate the emerging difficulties by informing the population about the probability of a particular deficit.
“Yes, I agree, people need to know in advance what difficulties are expected.
We can think of some alternative solutions, - said Deputy Director General of the Drug Department Ott Lius. - The Drug Department does not deal with the supply of medicines, but we can know in advance about possible supply disruptions. "
Who is responsible for the supply and distribution of medicines?
What to prepare for in the future?
These and other questions will be answered by the heroes and experts of the new issue of the program “Svoya pravda ”, which will air on Monday, February 20, at 20.30 on the channel ETV +.
Presenters: Olesya Lagashina and Elena Solomina.
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Ethical considerations in allocating scarce medications emphasize fairness and transparency, balancing individual needs with the common good, particularly during shortages of life-saving drugs like chemotherapy agents.

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Content: Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane/Howpper - Wikipedia

Allocating Scarce Resources in the Time of Covid: Who Shall Live When Not Everyone Can Live?

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Allocating Scarce Resources in the Time of Covid: Who Shall Live When Not Everyone Can Live?

By Jody Cramsie

I’m angry.

Life-saving treatment is being denied sick people. Elective surgeries are canceled and on hold. Don’t confuse the benign-sounding term “elective” with frivolous or optional. Elective refers to procedures that are medically necessary but may not be an immediate emergency. Elective surgeries save lives. If they didn’t, doctors would not be justified in performing them. And time does matter, even with elective procedures — hearts might not continue beating with a damaged valve; cancerous tumors may metastasize the longer they are left in the body. These patients are getting sicker, and some are dying.

Why is it happening? Hospitals everywhere, including here, are explicitly rationing healthcare. Hospitals are using their scarce resources treating voluntarily unvaccinated Covid patients. Hospitals are overrun and overwhelmed by the crushing waves of these Covid patients – these people who made personal and socially destructive decisions and now want to go to the head of the line, despite their own culpability in their present condition. And hospitals are agreeing with that, and prioritizing those patients at the expense of others.

Every fiber of my being says this is not fair. But what does fairness have to do with it? Does fairness even matter? What are the biomedical ethical rules and considerations hospitals are using to justify their decisions on this life and death allocation of scarce resources? Are there other ethically defensible decisions that could be made by these organizations in these perilous times?

There are four core principles recognized in biomedical ethics:

1.  Beneficence – the affirmative obligation to act for the benefit of the patient

2.  Nonmaleficence – the obligation not to harm the patient

3.  Autonomy – the recognition that the patient has the power to make decisions and choices by exercising their capacity for self-determination

4.  Justice – the fair and equitable distribution of the benefits and burdens

Autonomy requires consideration of the individual’s right to make free decisions regarding their health. It includes the ability of the individual to understand those choices, including the consequences of the decision. The patient then goes forward voluntarily.

Of course, the autonomy of one person is not unchecked; it can be limited when that person’s autonomous action causes harm to another person or persons. If autonomy is primarily concerned with the rights of the individual, justice requires a balancing of benefits and burdens among all those concerned. It involves social cooperation, serving the common good, and maximizing benefits within the system as a whole, while making the difficult choices in balancing the equities.

Let me be clear: I am speaking of post-vaccine Covid treatment issues. I believe that is a morally relevant distinction within this discussion of allocation of scarce resources. This pandemic may be a crisis of such magnitude that many of the principles of biomedical ethics could/should be challenged.

In many ways, the voluntarily unvaccinated Covid patient made their treatment priorities known. They voluntarily assumed the risk and refused to mitigate any possible future damages, to themselves, their families and society. Why not respect that autonomous decision when having to allocate scarce resources, which at the same time serves the goals of equity and fairness required by justice?

Accordingly, I suggest that hospitals (not individual doctors or nurses) could make an ethically defensible policy to put sick Covid patients in the queue and not automatically give them priority. I believe this could be done by fully respecting the voluntarily unvaccinated Covid patient’s prior decision to refuse medically appropriate and possibly life-saving treatment.

I believe the equities could be balanced by hospitals developing a policy that is planned, principled and justified by an appeal to ethical standards. It would be well reasoned with input from ethicists, legal advisors, risk managers, hospital administrators and staff, and other stakeholders. The policy would be announced and widely disseminated so all people know and understand it is not reactive to any specific individual or group of individuals, but transparent and objective and consistent with the hospital’s mission and responsibility to the entire community.

Government has failed to lead on this issue. It has a vital and legitimate role in alleviating the horrendous conditions under which hospitals are laboring. It has left hospitals and communities with the heavy burden of the moral distress being caused by hospitals’ forced allocation of resources. Government should marshal its resources to set up Covid-specific treatment centers, thus creating space in hospitals for the care of other sick patients.  If hospitals, on their own, are setting up temporary treatment areas in staff rooms, hallways and parking garages (!!), surely appropriate temporary treatment areas should be set up for Covid patients with top priority government action.

Autonomy is crucial. Ever increasing levels of self-determination and development of individual potential is one of the hallmarks of human progress. None of us can live happily or productively without it. But it’s nothing without justice, which is often elusive. This could move the arc of justice a little closer to within society’s reach.

© 2021 SpokaneFāVS

Please show your support for SpokaneFāVS by making a donation today, or by becoming a monthly sustainer.

About Jody Cramsie

Jody Cramsie has a background in history, theology, ethics and law. In her free, time she enjoys music, reading and hosting dinner parties for family and friends. She lives in Spokane but prefers to be on the Olympic Peninsula or in the south of France.

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The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragility of global supply chains, prompting governments and organizations to improve stockpiles, diversify production, and foster partnerships to mitigate future crises.

Title:

Content: Clinical Labs' Quick Response to COVID-19 Helped Reduce Hospitalizations and Save Lives

Published: Aug. 29, 2023 at 3:09 PM EDT|Updated: 51 minutes ago

Survey highlights lab experts' heroic response despite limited supplies and staffing shortages—challenges that have worsened since pandemic's onset.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey from the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (formerly AACC) found that clinical labs' robust, rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic helped to contain the virus and save lives. However, the challenges labs faced with insufficient supplies and staffing shortages have only intensified since 2020. The percentage of laboratory professionals reporting staffing issues rose steadily from 35.4% in May 2020 to 87.5% in January 2022—raising questions about whether labs would have the necessary resources to respond to a similar public health emergency today.

"Globally, it is critical we increase the visibility of the laboratory to healthcare professionals, national and international government agencies, and patients to solve staffing shortages and maintain supply chain continuity in order to ensure successful healthcare options in the future," wrote study authors Drs. Caitlin R. Ondracek, Jonathan R. Genzen, Christina M. Lockwood, Saswati Das, and Stacy E.F. Melanson, and Phillip Kang.

Read the survey here: https://academic.oup.com/jalm/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jalm/jfad049/7251191

Leaders from 191 laboratories responded to 8 surveys between May 2020 and December 2022. Respondents represented 133 labs in the U.S. and 58 from other countries. They worked for a range of institutions, including government/public health laboratories, reference labs, research labs, independent laboratories, and hospital laboratories.

In May 2020—just two months after the national shutdown—more than 70% of respondents were offering COVID-19 diagnostic testing in their laboratories. This increased steadily to 100% in January 2022 and dropped slightly to 98% by December 2022.

Throughout the pandemic, most reported a turnaround time (the period between receiving specimens and generating results) of just 1 to 12 hours or 12 to 24 hours. There was a slight increase in turnaround time, to 24 to 48 hours, in August and September 2020.

"Despite the evolving pandemic, the turnaround time provided by the laboratory allowed for rapid triage of patients and a reduction in hospital transmission rates," the authors wrote.

Still, supply and staffing shortages loom large. In most of the surveys, 55% to 65% of laboratories reported being unable to obtain supplies. Obtaining reagents and test kits was most problematic.

As for staffing challenges: After peaking at 87.5% in January 2022, they remained high throughout the remainder of the survey period, affecting 78.6% of labs in December 2022.

The percentage of laboratories' total testing capacity dedicated to COVID-19 was most frequently 20% or less in 2020. However, by January 2022, more respondents were dedicating greater than 40% of their testing capacity to COVID-19. This shifted back to 0-20% in December 2022.

On average, 82.3% of labs sent their results to their state throughout the pandemic. Less frequently, results were sent to federal or local agencies. Most respondents—between 74.3% and 83.3% throughout the survey period—reported that their laboratory was using U.S. Food and Drug Administration Emergency Use Authorized test kits.

When asked to share their lessons learned during the pandemic, respondents emphasized the need for industry partnerships, standardized educational guidelines, and a sustainable pipeline of medical laboratory scientists.

"Despite the shortages, the resiliency of the laboratory staff during the pandemic was remarkable. While many other professionals were working remotely, the laboratory staff did not have that option. Instead, the staff were adaptable and flexible, and many cross-trained to help with coverage," the authors stated.

About the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (ADLM)
Dedicated to achieving better health through laboratory medicine, ADLM (formerly AACC) brings together more than 70,000 clinical laboratory professionals, physicians, research scientists, and business leaders from around the world focused on clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of progressing laboratory science. Since 1948, ADLM has worked to advance the common interests of the field, providing programs that advance scientific collaboration, knowledge, expertise, and innovation. For more information, visit www.myadlm.org.

Bill Malone
ADLM
Director, Communications & News Publications
(p) 202.835.8756
bmalone@myadlm.org

Molly Polen
ADLM
Senior Director, Communications & PR
(p) 202.420.7612
(c) 703.598.0472
mpolen@myadlm.org

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The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc.