Hospitals and cancer treatments disrupted by drug shortages.

Drug shortages are at a 10-year low, with some essential drugs hitting their lowest supply levels, forcing hospitals to ration and use pharmacy workarounds. Quality control issues, selected plant closures, and other manufacturing woes have added up, leading to shortages of essential drugs like albuterol and some common cancer treatments. Oncology drugs have been hit particularly hard, with methotrexate and other generics produced by Akorn Pharmaceuticals in short supply. The FDA is working with manufacturers to increase production and qualify additional suppliers and sites to increase supply. However, health system pharmacists can find a workaround by either compounding or repacking medications into different doses.