Frontiers in Pharmacology (Jul 2021)
Drug Shortage: Causes, Impact, and Mitigation Strategies
- Sundus Shukar,
- Sundus Shukar,
- Sundus Shukar,
- Sundus Shukar,
- Fatima Zahoor,
- Fatima Zahoor,
- Khezar Hayat,
- Khezar Hayat,
- Khezar Hayat,
- Khezar Hayat,
- Khezar Hayat,
- Amna Saeed,
- Amna Saeed,
- Amna Saeed,
- Amna Saeed,
- Ali Hassan Gillani,
- Ali Hassan Gillani,
- Ali Hassan Gillani,
- Ali Hassan Gillani,
- Sumaira Omer,
- Sumaira Omer,
- Sumaira Omer,
- Sumaira Omer,
- Shuchen Hu,
- Shuchen Hu,
- Shuchen Hu,
- Shuchen Hu,
- Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar,
- Yu Fang,
- Yu Fang,
- Yu Fang,
- Yu Fang,
- Caijun Yang,
- Caijun Yang,
- Caijun Yang,
- Caijun Yang
Affiliations
- Sundus Shukar
- Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Sundus Shukar
- Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Sundus Shukar
- Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi’an, China
- Sundus Shukar
- Research Institute for Drug Safety and Monitoring, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, China’s Western Technological Innovation Harbor, Xi’an, China
- Fatima Zahoor
- Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
- Fatima Zahoor
- Yusra Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan
- Khezar Hayat
- Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Khezar Hayat
- Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Khezar Hayat
- Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi’an, China
- Khezar Hayat
- Research Institute for Drug Safety and Monitoring, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, China’s Western Technological Innovation Harbor, Xi’an, China
- Khezar Hayat
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
- Amna Saeed
- Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Amna Saeed
- Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Amna Saeed
- Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi’an, China
- Amna Saeed
- Research Institute for Drug Safety and Monitoring, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, China’s Western Technological Innovation Harbor, Xi’an, China
- Ali Hassan Gillani
- Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Ali Hassan Gillani
- Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Ali Hassan Gillani
- Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi’an, China
- Ali Hassan Gillani
- Research Institute for Drug Safety and Monitoring, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, China’s Western Technological Innovation Harbor, Xi’an, China
- Sumaira Omer
- Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Sumaira Omer
- Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Sumaira Omer
- Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi’an, China
- Sumaira Omer
- Research Institute for Drug Safety and Monitoring, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, China’s Western Technological Innovation Harbor, Xi’an, China
- Shuchen Hu
- Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Shuchen Hu
- Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Shuchen Hu
- Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi’an, China
- Shuchen Hu
- Research Institute for Drug Safety and Monitoring, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, China’s Western Technological Innovation Harbor, Xi’an, China
- Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, United Kingdom
- Yu Fang
- Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Yu Fang
- Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Yu Fang
- Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi’an, China
- Yu Fang
- Research Institute for Drug Safety and Monitoring, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, China’s Western Technological Innovation Harbor, Xi’an, China
- Caijun Yang
- Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Caijun Yang
- Center for Drug Safety and Policy Research, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
- Caijun Yang
- Shaanxi Centre for Health Reform and Development Research, Xi’an, China
- Caijun Yang
- Research Institute for Drug Safety and Monitoring, Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, China’s Western Technological Innovation Harbor, Xi’an, China
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.693426
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 12
Abstract
Drug shortage is a global issue affecting low, middle, and high-income countries. Many countries have developed various strategies to overcome the problem, while the problem is accelerating, affecting the whole world. All types of drugs, such as essential life-saving drugs, oncology medicines, antimicrobial drugs, analgesics, opioids, cardiovascular drugs, radiopharmaceutical, and parenteral products, are liable to the shortage. Among all pharmaceutical dosage forms, sterile injectable products have a higher risk of shortage than other forms. The causes of shortage are multifactorial, including supply issues, demand issues, and regulatory issues. Supply issues consist of manufacturing problems, unavailability of raw materials, logistic problems, and business problems. In contrast, demand issues include just-in-time inventory, higher demand for a product, seasonal demand, and unpredictable demand. For regulatory issues, one important factor is the lack of a unified definition of drug shortage. Drug shortage affects all stakeholders from economic, clinical, and humanistic aspects. WHO established global mitigation strategies from four levels to overcome drug shortages globally. It includes a workaround to tackle the current shortage, operational improvements to reduce the shortage risk and achieve early warning, changes in governmental policies, and education and training of all health professionals about managing shortages.
Keywords
