ATLANTA — The nationwide prescription drug shortage is impacting more drugs than ever before, according to the American Society of Healthcare Pharmacists.
It's an issue that's gone on since last year, and the group is now calling on the federal government to address the growing crisis.
Pharmacists in metro Atlanta are not immune to the effects. For pharmacist Ira Katz, each medication is a win. Finding a particular prescription is becoming harder every day.
He said some of the ingredients for these drugs go into the manufacturing products and come from overseas -- a fact that he believes could potentially be a contributing factor to the issue.
"I've been practicing 45 years, I've never seen this before," Katz said.
The ASHP recently released new data showing that more than 300 drugs are now being impacted by the shortage -- the highest amount on record. The group released the following statement last week:
"During the first quarter of 2024, ASHP and our partner, the University of Utah Drug Information Service, tracked 323 active shortages. This is an all-time high, surpassing the previous record of 320 shortages in 2014. All drug classes are vulnerable to shortages. Some of the most worrying shortages involve generic sterile injectable medications, including cancer chemotherapy drugs and emergency medications stored in hospital crash carts and procedural areas. Ongoing national shortages of therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder also remain a serious challenge for clinicians and patients..."
And from cancer treatment drugs to ADHD medications, Katz stated the shortage is across the counter.
“If we can’t get something – we’ll try to contact the doctor to see if there’s another medication we can use to try to fill and get to the patient," Katz said.
It's also been a year since Congress introduced a bill to prevent drug shortages, but Katz said he and his peers have only seen things worsen.
“(We take) 30,40,50 phone calls a day if we don’t have this…we don’t have that," Katz explained.
From generic brands to name-brand drugs like Zoloft, Adderall and Ozempic, Katz said no drug seems to be immune.
In February, the Federal Trade Commission, alongside the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched a request for information saying the inquiry would look at factors surrounding drug shortages, scrutinize the drug middleman, and tackle healthcare monopolies.
"In the Request for Information (RFI), the FTC and HHS are seeking public comment regarding market concentration among large health care GPOs and drug wholesalers, as well as information detailing their contracting practices. The joint RFI seeks to understand how both GPOs and drug wholesalers impact the overall generic pharmaceutical market, including how both entities may influence the pricing and availability of pharmaceutical drugs. The joint RFI is asking these questions to help uncover the root causes and potential solutions to drug shortages. "
The public has 60 days to submit comments at Regulations.gov. Once submitted, comments will be posted to that same website.