5 Prescriptions On the Rise Right Now

At the end of 2019, there were already 270 drugs on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) shortage list. As pandemic closures affected manufacturing and the demand for specific drugs rose, the FDA reported nearly 50 new shortages, bringing the total number of medications in short supply to more than 300. The list spanned the diagnostic spectrum, from sedatives and paralytics commonly used for intubated patients to anti-inflammatories that treat conditions as routine as hemorrhoids. The shortage list is part of a broader picture that pharmacy data — including which prescriptions are…