US drug shortages reach record high with 323 meds now in short supply
US drug shortages reach record high with 323 meds now in short supply
The shortages affect everything from generic cancer drugs to ADHD medication.
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Love this quote:
In 60 percent of cases, manufacturers do not know or do not provide reasons why their drugs fall into short supply, ASHP found.
I'll take a wild guess at the underlying reason: "profiteering by monopoly".
Sounds to me like they need to provide abundant supply or else their drug goes into public domain
Lots of the shortages seem to be generic routine stuff like antibiotics or even saline solution. It's weird.
the root cause of shortages of low-cost, off-patent generic drugs is well established. These drugs have razor-thin to non-existent profit margins, driven by middle managers who have, in recent years, pushed down wholesale prices to rock-bottom levels. In some cases, generic manufacturers lose money on the drugs, disincentivizing other players in the pharmaceutical industry from stepping in to bolster fragile supply chains. Several generic manufacturers have filed for bankruptcy recently.
Reading between the lines here, someone is fucking with the market on purpose. Drop the prices so low the competition goes out of business trying to keep up, then jack up the prices to make it all back multiple times over. Businesses don't drop the price of products for no reason.
Well no, but if you're engaged in some drug-fueled (heh) 4d chess with the competition vying for the lowest price, a global disruption to the supply chain is going to play merry hell with whatever passes for well-laid plans in corporate management these days.
Patents on drugs should not exist. There are other ways of rewarding research other than handing out monopolies.