The U.S.-Iran war is disrupting maritime trade and pushing oil prices above $100 a barrel, putting several medications at risk of shortage due to reliance on regional production and petrochemical inputs, according to a March 30 report from The Hill.
The U.S. Pharmacopeia found the overall impact is currently limited, with the region accounting for 0.3% of active pharmaceutical ingredient production and 0.6% of oral solid dose production, most of it concentrated in Jordan and Israel.
However, those countries play an outsized role in several key drugs. Jordan produces about 50% of the world’s amoxicillin oral suspension and half of the active pharmaceutical ingredient for etomidate, a fast-acting anesthetic. Israel and Jordan also account for 73% of the active pharmaceutical ingredient for flumazenil, a benzodiazepine reversal agent, according to the report.
Beyond regional manufacturing risks, the broader pharmaceutical supply chain remains exposed to energy market volatility. Nearly all drug production depends on petrochemical-derived feedstocks, and a 2011 industry analysis found 99% of these materials originate from petrochemicals — leaving manufacturers vulnerable to rising transportation costs and geopolitical instability, according to The Hill.
The risk is compounded by global distribution patterns. India, which supplies 47% of generic drugs dispensed in the U.S., relies heavily on shipping routes through the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz — both of which face increasing disruption. As a result, potential shortages could extend beyond antibiotics and anesthetics to include widely used medications such as statins, diabetes treatments and blood pressure drugs, the report said.
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