Have you had the experience of going to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription and being told we just don't have that drug available right now?

Shortages, they are omnipresent, they smolder along. Now like we've had another times it's a five alarm fire.

They never go away. It's Thursday July 18th and you're listening to Science Friday.

I'm John Dankowski. Incredibly, there are some 323 active and ongoing drug

shortages in the U.S. It's the highest number of drug shortages in the US.

It's the highest number of drug shortages since the American Society of Health System

Pharmacists started tracking this data way back in 2001.

Now, these shortages touch every part of the health care system from doctors who have to

reconfigure their treatment plans to account for this short supply, to patients who have to go from pharmacy to

pharmacy to get even the most common medication.

But why do these drug shortages happen in the first place and what can we do to fix the problem?

Journalist Indicara and Eli Kahan took a deep dive into the tangled web of shortages for us and they brought back some answers.

Indy and Eli welcome to Science Friday.

Hi, thank you for having us.

Thanks for having us, John.

Okay, so to start, I understand this is a pretty sprawling issue, but you have focused on a few drugs and

shortage to help us get our heads around things.

Can you tell me a bit more about that?

Yeah, definitely. So as you said, drug shortages are complex. This is I think the most challenging

thing I've ever reported on. And so having Eli, who is not only an amazing journalist, but also a doctor, was very helpful.

You are too kind, Indy, but, yeah, John, drug shortages, they're an everyday thing in the hospital.

To break the fourth wall for a second, I literally wrote part of this script at 3m in the morning

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