Explainer: Why drug shortages happen and how can we reduce them?

Medicine bottles in a pharmacy with pen marks showing that they have been partially opened and dispensed

Drug shortages are a decades-old problem, but in recent years they have hit a record high. A steady stream of supply issues has disrupted supplies of life-saving medicines – from hormone replacement therapy (HRT), antibiotics and chemotherapy, to drugs used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as the latest diabetes and weight … Read more