There is currently a shortage of more than 200 drugs in the United States. Among the drugs critically in short supply are anesthetics, blood pressure medications and a whole host of cancer-fighting treatments, the shortage of which has tragically left many patients with the grim prospect that they may not survive ailments that are treatable.
Many explanations have been put forth as to what is causing this drug shortage. The New York Times, for example, cites“contamination problems at some manufacturing plants, forcing unexpected production shutdowns, [and] difficulties in getting pharmaceutical ingredients from suppliers, especially those abroad,” as some of the factors that have played a role.