Drug Shortages

As MUSC clinicians experience the recent shortage of calcium products, many wonder: Why is this happening? Drug shortages have increased in recent years and the causes are varied. Unpredictable factors include:

• lack of lack of raw materials for a drug;
• production delays due to non-compliance with regulatory standards
• disasters such as fires, earthquakes or hurricanes.

But another factor is economics. Generic drugs yield low margins, and many pharmaceutical companies will strategically concentrate their efforts on medications with higher profits. Drug vendors can also create artificial shortages by buying up product to create demand, and then selling back to health care organizations at higher costs. Supply and demand can fluctuate as well; for example, the Iraq war caused a shortage in albumin. This is clearly a very complex issue and MUSC is not alone in managing these shortages.

More information on drug shortages at MUSC can be found here.

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