The Food and Drug Administration introduced a free app that provides public access to information about drug shortages.
The drug market goes through sporadic shortages because the market does not respond very well to short-term changes in price. Therefore, product disruptions result in shortages rather than just higher prices. The FDA maintains a frequently updated database on which drugs are in shortage, and the app allows public access to this information, according to Clinical Oncology News.
Users can browse the database by drug name, active ingredient or therapeutic category. There is also a tool to report a suspected drug shortage to the FDA, according to the report.
The FDA has been planning to develop an app to prevent drug shortages since October 2013. The development was planned in its Strategic Plan for Preventing and Mitigating Drug Shortages. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.