Critical Drug Shortages Plague US Amid Unabated Reliance on China

The ongoing scarcity of critical medications has trapped Americans between a rock and a hard place. Active national drug shortages hit a 10-year high this year, leaving many health care providers, pharmacies, and hospitals without enough life-saving and supportive medications, according to data collected by the University of Utah Drug Information Service. A survey by the same university in July found that 99 percent of the 1,123 pharmacists who responded—many of whom work in hospitals—reported shortages. One-third of the pharmacists listed the shortages as “critically impactful,” which is defined as being forced to ration medication or delay or even cancel medical treatments....