Generic Drug Shortages

In a recent survey of some 1,200 U.S. hospitals conducted by the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, more than 90 percent reported having to identify alternative therapies to reduce the impact of generic drug price increases and shortages. The Association for Accessible Medicines, the industry association representing U.S. generic drug manufacturers, reported in its 2017 Access and Savings Report that nine-out-of-ten of every prescription dispensed in America are generic drugs. A generic drug is a medication created to be the same as an existing approved brand-name drug in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, and performance characteristics.