BUFFALO, N.Y. — Drug shortages in the Unite States have now reached an all-time high.
During the first three months of 2024, there were 323 medications listed as being under an active shortage.
"We field probably at least 20 to 25 calls a day asking if we have medications in stock," said pharmacist Michael Rossi at Family Medical Pharmacy in Williamsville.
According to Rossi, weight loss drugs are among those experiencing shortages.
"Everyone seems to want them so they've become very popular and the active ingredients are now in short supply," he said.
Drugs for attention deficit disorder and diabetes are also among those becoming harder to find.
Hospitals aren't immune from the problem and for them drug shortages can be worrisome. Especially when chemotherapy drugs are among those in short supply. There have been reports of hospitals and clinics running completely out, leaving doctors to either ration them or having to determine which patients receive the drugs first.
"I've seen it written about and it's a hot topic in the pharmacy literature and the physician literature but we have not had that issue here," said Ashley Halloran, vice president of pharmacy operations at Erie County Medical Center.
Halloran credits ECMC's agreements with manufacturers and other hospitals for its ability to deal with drug shortages they experience and avoid them from becoming catastrophic as they become more commonplace.
"When I started my career in pharmacy it was not a common occurrence. Drug shortages were fairly rare," she said.
"We've kind of got to scour the earth to find some of these products," Rossi said, while acknowledging that sometimes pharmacists will fill prescriptions by using brands other than what a customer may be accustomed to, or mixing brands. which could make pills look different."
And while there's most often no problem, anyone with questions should contact their pharmacist.
"If you ever have a prescription that looks different don't take it before calling your pharmacy to make sure," he said.
Rossi also advises that if you are having trouble finding medicine at your usual pharmacy you should not hesitate to call around to others, while reminding that it is relatively simple for your doctor to then have your prescription transferred to another pharmacy.
"And we help walk people through that process as well, " he said.