The Baltimore Sun: Many Drugs In Short Supply At Hospitals, Pharmacies

The drugs are among hundreds that have been in short supply at the nation's hospitals, and more recently, community pharmacies. Pharmacists, doctors and advocacy groups say countless patients are getting less effective or more costly substitutes as a result. Occasionally, they may be receiving inappropriate drugs or doses — or no treatment at all. … The U.S Food and Drug Administration said shortages of prescription drugs have tripled during the last six years to a record high (Cohn, 6/25).

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This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.