When toilet paper and new cars are hard to find, it’s a huge inconvenience. We all learned about it during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But drug shortages are worse. Without the right medication, your health — and possibly your life — is in jeopardy.
Currently, some important medicines are becoming increasingly scarce. If you are relying on any of the following drugs, take them before they wear off.
Amoxicillin and other antibiotics
Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, said the shortage of major antibiotic drugs was the result of the fact that pharmaceutical companies underestimated demand.
Over the past few years, the demand for amoxicillin has been relatively low. But as Gottlieb said in “Face the Nation” on CBS:
“Demand is up this year, they anticipate some increase in demand, but not as much as we saw and not at the start of the season. So, it’s not any kind of supply interruption.
Gottlieb hopes supplies will follow soon.
Cold and flu medicine
Pharmacies from California to Connecticut are reporting shortages of cold and flu medicine.
Winter has only just begun, but there is already a strong influx of illnesses linked to influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV.
All the coughing and sneezing makes people stock up on cold and flu medicines, which exacerbates the shortage.
Child pain reliever and fever reducer
An alarming rise in viral illnesses among children has increased the demand for children’s pain relievers and fever reducers. The Wall Street Journal reports that sales of such drugs are up 80% year over year.
Recently, drugstore chains such as CVS and Walgreens began limiting the amount of medication individuals could purchase.
Albuterol sulfate
Albuterol is used to treat respiratory conditions such as asthma and emphysema. These drugs are especially important for those who have an underlying condition — such as asthma — and then contract a virus such as RSV.
However, there has been a shortage of albuterol since many months ago. Currently, albuterol formulations used for continuous nebulization are in limited supply.
Semagglutide
The injectable drug semaglutide (Ozempic) was developed to treat type 2 diabetes. But that’s not why supplies are limited.
People have found that semaglutide reduces food cravings. In particular, it is said to make you less likely to crave fatty foods.
This drug is now used to treat obesity. As word of its effectiveness has circulated in social media posts, demand has soared, causing a shortage.
Dulaglutide and tirzepatid
Strong demand for two other diabetes drugs — dulaglutide (Trulicity) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) — has led to shortages, with manufacturer Eli Lilly and Co.
Eli Lilly is stepping up its efforts and hopes to double production capacity for the drugs by the end of next year.
