Thankful Winter December

Increased Demand: Even when production is running smoothly, there can still be shortages if demand for a particular drug unexpectedly spikes. This can happen due to changes in medical practice (such as the increased use of certain antibiotics to treat patients with C diff), public panic (such as during a pandemic), or even theft (as was the case when criminals started stealing vials of injectable medicines from hospitals). Whatever the cause, when demand exceeds supply it can leave patients without the lifesaving drugs they need. Market Consolidation: In recent years there has been consolidation within the pharmaceutical industry as larger companies have bought up smaller ones. This consolidation can lead to shortages when one company decides to discontinue production of a certain drug or ingredient while its competitor doesn’t have enough capacity to pick up the slack, resulting in a reduction in the number of manufacturers. Market consolidation can also lead to higher prices as companies have less competition and can charge more for their products. This puts even greater strain on already overburdened healthcare systems. The drug shortage problem in North America is severe and getting worse every year. These drug shortages have become a major threat to public health, causing delays in medical procedures, limited treatment options, and even increased mortality rates. Recently, the government has taken steps to try and address this issue, but more needs to be done. While the causes are varied and complex but whatever the cause, the end result is always the same —patients go without lifesaving drugs they need due to factors beyond their control and to whatever is available prices for these drugs will be soaring high. The question now is how can we solve this growing problem? References Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. (n.d.). Drug shortages. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/drugs/ drug-safety-and-availability/drug-shortages Ebel, T., Larsen, E., & Shah, K. (2021, July 1). Strengthening Health Care’s supply chain: A five-step plan. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/ healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/ strengthening-health-cares-supply-chain-a-five-step- plan Gao-16-595, drug shortages: Certain factors are strongly associated ... (n.d.). Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-16-595.pdf Edney, A. (2022, March 4). Covid 19: Medical saline shortage hits U.S. hospitals reeling from Omicron. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-04/ medical-saline-shortage-hits-hospitals-reeling-from- omicron?leadSource=uverify+wall Thomas, K., & Kaplan, S. (2017, October 4). Hurricane damage in Puerto Rico leads to fears of drug shortages nationwide. The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/04/ health/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-pharmaceutical- manufacturers.html Shukar, S., Zahoor, F., Hayat, K., Saeed, A., Gillani, A. H., Omer, S., Hu, S., Babar, Z.-U.-D., Fang, Y., & Yang, C. (2021, June 29). Drug shortage: Causes, impact, and Mitigation Strategies. Frontiers. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ fphar.2021.693426/full#B126