Current Drug Shortages: Which Medications Are Scarce Today in 2025

As of December 2025, over 270 drugs are still in short supply across the United States - a number that may seem lower than the peak of 323 in early 2024, but still represents a deep, ongoing crisis. For patients, nurses, and pharmacists, this isn’t just a statistic. It’s daily reality: waiting days for a cancer treatment, mixing saline solutions from larger bags to stretch supply, or being told a life-saving antibiotic isn’t available anywhere nearby. These aren’t temporary hiccups. Many of these shortages began in 2022 or earlier and show no sign of ending soon.

Which Drugs Are in Short Supply Right Now?

The most critical shortages are concentrated in a few key categories - and they’re not random. They’re tied to how these drugs are made, where they’re made, and how little profit manufacturers make from them.

• IV Fluids: 5% Dextrose Injection (small bags) and 50% Dextrose Injection remain on shortage lists since 2021 and 2022 respectively. These aren’t just IV bags - they’re the backbone of emergency care, surgery, and treating dehydration. Hospitals are rationing them. Some are turning to oral rehydration when possible, but that’s not an option for critically ill patients.
• Chemotherapy Drugs: Cisplatin, a key drug for testicular, ovarian, and lung cancers, has been in short supply for over three years. One Indian manufacturing plant, which supplied half of the U.S. market, failed an FDA inspection in 2022 and hasn’t resumed full production. Hospitals now prioritize patients with the best chance of survival, leaving others to wait or switch to less effective alternatives.
• Antibiotics: Vancomycin, cefazolin, and ampicillin are frequently out of stock. In rural clinics and small hospitals, doctors are delaying treatments or prescribing broader-spectrum drugs that increase the risk of antibiotic resistance.
• ADHD Medications: Methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) and amphetamine-based drugs (Adderall) are still hard to find. Demand has climbed 35% since 2020, but manufacturers haven’t scaled up production fast enough. Many patients report going weeks without medication, affecting school performance and workplace productivity.
• GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs: Semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) are in high demand for both diabetes and weight loss. While brand-name versions are often available through specialty pharmacies, generic alternatives are nearly impossible to find. This has led to black-market sales and dangerous substitutions.
• Electrolyte Solutions: Sodium chloride (saline) and potassium chloride injections remain scarce. These are essential for patients on dialysis, in intensive care, or recovering from surgery.

Why Are These Shortages Happening?

It’s not one problem - it’s a broken system.

Over 80% of the active ingredients in U.S. drugs come from just two countries: India (45%) and China (25%). These facilities often operate on razor-thin margins. A single FDA inspection failure - like the one that shut down the cisplatin plant - can ripple across the entire country. Quality control issues are common because manufacturers cut corners to meet low price demands from U.S. buyers.

Generic drugs make up 90% of prescriptions but only 20% of pharmaceutical revenue. That means manufacturers earn just 5-8% profit per generic drug, compared to 30-40% for brand-name drugs. Why would a company invest in building new facilities or upgrading equipment for a product that barely pays for itself? The answer: they won’t.

And when demand spikes - like the sudden surge in GLP-1 drugs - there’s no backup plan. No stockpile. No emergency production line. The system was built to run on steady, predictable demand. It’s not built for surprises.

Who’s Affected the Most?

It’s not just patients. Healthcare workers are drowning in the fallout.

According to a 2024 survey by the American Medical Association, 78% of doctors have delayed treatments because of drug shortages. Nearly half have had to switch patients to less effective or more toxic alternatives. In one Ohio hospital, pharmacists had to ration cisplatin - giving it only to patients with testicular cancer, where it’s most effective, and holding off on other cancers until supply improved.

Pharmacists are spending over 10 hours a week just tracking down drugs. Sixty-seven percent report medication errors directly linked to substitutions. One nurse in Texas told a reporter she once gave a patient the wrong IV fluid because the labeled bags were mixed up after switching brands due to shortage.

For cancer patients, the delays are deadly. Patients for Affordable Drugs found that 31% of cancer patients experienced treatment interruptions in 2024, with an average delay of nearly 15 days per interruption. That’s not just inconvenience - it’s a risk to survival.

What’s Being Done - And Why It’s Not Enough

The FDA says it prevents about 200 potential shortages every year by stepping in early. But they can’t force a factory to produce more. They can’t demand transparency. They can’t require manufacturers to keep backup supplies.

In January 2025, the FDA launched a new public reporting portal. Within three months, it received over 1,200 reports from providers - 87% of which led to FDA action. That’s progress. But it’s reactive, not preventative.

Some states are trying their own fixes. New York is developing an online map showing which pharmacies still have drugs in stock. Hawaii’s Medicaid program now allows imported drugs approved in Canada or the EU when U.S. versions aren’t available. These are smart, but patchwork solutions. They don’t fix the root problem.

Meanwhile, proposed tariffs of 50-200% on pharmaceutical ingredients from China and India could make things worse. If raw materials become more expensive, manufacturers may stop making low-margin drugs altogether. The Congressional Budget Office warns that without major policy changes, shortages will stay above 250 through 2027 - and could spike to 350+ if tariffs go through.

What Can You Do?

If you’re a patient:

• Call your pharmacy before your prescription runs out. Don’t wait until the last day.
• Ask if there’s a therapeutically equivalent alternative. In 47 states, pharmacists can swap in a similar drug without a new prescription.
• Check the ASHP Drug Shortages Database - it’s updated daily and lists current shortages, expected resolution dates, and alternatives.
• If you’re on a critical medication like chemotherapy or insulin, talk to your doctor about a backup plan - even if it’s just a temporary alternative.

If you’re a caregiver or family member:

• Keep a written list of all medications, dosages, and prescribing doctors.
• Don’t assume your pharmacy has the same stock as the one down the street. Call multiple locations.
• Reach out to patient advocacy groups. Organizations like Patients for Affordable Drugs can help connect you with resources or financial aid for hard-to-find drugs.

The Bigger Picture

This isn’t going to get better unless we change how we make and pay for drugs. The U.S. relies on a global supply chain that’s fragile, opaque, and profit-driven. We need financial incentives for domestic manufacturing. We need mandatory stockpiles of critical drugs. We need a national early warning system that connects manufacturers, distributors, and hospitals in real time.

Until then, the burden falls on patients, nurses, and pharmacists - the people on the front lines. They’re doing their best with broken tools. But they shouldn’t have to.