People are dying because of critical shortages of hundreds of essential, commonly used drugs the kind we take for granted, writes ACSH s Dr. Josh Bloom in his op-ed that appears in today s New York Post. Dr. Bloom aims to make more people aware of the drug shortages that are affecting patients across the U.S. As he points out, The United States saw shortages of 56 drugs in 2006, ballooning to about 200 last year. The Food and Drug Administration now lists 246 shortages a five-fold jump in just five years.
Dr. Bloom notes that the shortages are largely comprised of generic drugs, and explains the economic, technological, regulatory, and geographic components of the problem. If more people are aware of the situation and its various causes, perhaps a greater effort can be made to combat it.
*We would also like to thank ACSH intern Arianna Tafti for doing some excellent research to support Dr. Bloom s piece.