Active U.S. drug shortages increased to 227 in the second quarter of 2026, marking the third consecutive quarterly increase, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Nearly half of all new shortages this year involve medications made by a single manufacturer, a concentration that increases supply chain vulnerability, and the FDA’s database continues to reflect new discontinuations weekly.
The database is updated daily to reflect manufacturing recoveries, regulatory actions and how shortages are classified, not solely day-to-day availability at the hospital level.
Here are six recent drug shortages, according to the FDA database:
- Tobramycin sulfate injection: Hospira discontinued its 80-milligram/2-milliliter multiple-dose vial presentation of the antibiotic July 17.
- Bupivacaine hydrochloride injection: Aspiro Pharma Limited added six presentations of the local anesthetic to the market July 17. Separately, Kindos Pharmaceuticals’ 2.5-, 5- and 7.5-milligram/milliliter presentations remain in limited availability following a manufacturing discontinuation.
- Atropine sulfate injection: Somerset Therapeutics added three presentations of the anticholinergic to the market July 20, while Accord Healthcare has several .4-milligram and 1-milligram/1-milliliter presentations unavailable due to manufacturing compliance issues, and Hospira has discontinued two LifeShield ABBOJECT syringe presentations.
- Dexmedetomidine hydrochloride injection: Somerset Therapeutics added two presentations of the sedative to the market July 20. Several manufacturers, including Fresenius Kabi and Par Health, have presentations on backorder due to shipping delays and increased demand.
- Sodium acetate injection: Somerset Therapeutics added two presentations of the electrolyte injection to the market July 20. Hikma’s 40 mEq/20 mL presentation remains on backorder due to increased demand, with additional lots expected in the coming weeks.
- Succinylcholine chloride injection: Fresenius Kabi discontinued its 20-milligram/1-milliliter presentation of the neuromuscular blocker July 23.
