Drug Shortages Statistics

National Drug Shortages: New Shortages by Year

January 2001 to March 31, 2021

Note: Each column represents the number of new shortages identified during that year.
University of Utah Drug Information Service
Contact: Erin.Fox@hsc.utah.edu, @foxerinr for more information.

National Drug Shortages: New Shortages by Year - Percent Injectable

January 2001 to March 31, 2021, % Injectable

Note: Each column represents the number of new shortages identified during that year.
University of Utah Drug Information Service
Contact: Erin.Fox@hsc.utah.edu, @foxerinr for more information.

National Drug Shortages: Active Shortages by Quarter

March 31, 2021

Note: Each point represents the number of active shortages at the end of each quarter.
University of Utah Drug Information Service
Contact: Erin.Fox@hsc.utah.edu, @foxerinr for more information.

National Drug Shortages: Active Shortages Top 5 Drug Classes

University of Utah Drug Information Service
Contact: Erin.Fox@hsc.utah.edu, @foxerinr for more information.

National Drug Shortages: Common Drug Classes in Short Supply

New Shortages Reported: 2016–2021

University of Utah Drug Information Service
Contact: Erin.Fox@hsc.utah.edu, @foxerinr for more information.

National Drug Shortages

Reasons for Shortages as Determined by UUDIS During Investigation — 2020

University of Utah Drug Information Service
Contact: Erin.Fox@hsc.utah.edu, @foxerinr for more information.

What Do These Numbers Mean?

• The rate of new shortages has decreased, but a large number are still active and posing continued problems for patient care such as local anesthetics (bupivacaine, lidocaine, mepivacaine) and critical antidotes (succimer, physostigmine).
• New shortages may occur as manufacturing capacity is prioritized for vaccine production.
• During 2020, hospitals experienced significant shortages of analgesics, sedatives, and paralytics due to unprecedented demand created by large numbers of critically ill patients with COVID-19.
• Half of new shortages in 2020 were injectable products used in hospitals.

Actions to Improve Drug Shortages

AHA/AMA/ASHP/USP summit to examine national security implications of global manufacturing

• https://www.ashp.org/news/2020/08/03/drug-safety-summit-examined-national-security-implications-global-manufacturing
• https://doi.org/10.1093/ajhp/zxaa392

The CARES Act includes provisions for shortages and readiness

• https://www.ashp.org/COVID-19/Issue-Brief-CARES-Shortages

National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to examine the security of America’s medical product supply chain (report 2022).

• https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/security-of-americas-medical-product-supply-chain