The study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, published Oct. 31 in JAMA, analyzed data from 2017 to 2021 and found that nearly half of U.S. reports of supply disruptions led to shortages within a year, compared to about one-third in Canada.
The research utilized supply-chain issue reports from the FDA, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and Health Canada, comparing them to actual drug demand to define shortages. The majority of disruptions, researchers found, stemmed from manufacturing or shipping issues, with generic drugs making up more than 90% of reports in both countries.
The authors recommended that U.S. policymakers consider incentivizing the production of low-profit-margin generic drugs to improve resilience against supply-chain disruptions. They also emphasized that addressing shortages in pharmaceuticals requires more than just cost adjustments, pointing to the cooperation between regulatory agencies, health systems, public payers along with manufacturers and wholesalers.
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