Behind Every Drug Shortage Is a Patient Struggling to Stay Healthy 

In the recent past (say 2 years back), drug shortage seldom made it to the headlines. But today, they have become an everyday reality in pharmacies across the U.S. and around the world. As of early 2025, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) reported about 270 active medicine shortage nationwide. That number is slightly lower than the record high of 323 shortages in 2024. But it is still staggering when you think about the impact behind each one. 

And these are not niche medications we are talking about. Many of the drugs in short supply are everyday essentials, such as blood pressure medicines, antibiotics, and GLP-1s used for diabetes and weight management. When those shelves are empty, it is more than just a pharmacy inconvenience. Patients risk losing control of chronic conditions, physicians must rethink treatment plans, and pharmacists are left scrambling to find alternatives before someone’s health takes a serious hit.  

Most pharmacists across the globe live and breathe this reality every single day. From chasing down a supply of a blood pressure tablet to helping a patient navigate the loss of access to their GLP-1 medication, pharmacists see the stress and setbacks these medicine shortage cause in real time. That is why people from the healthcare sector believe pharmacists should play a stronger role in managing the causes of drug shortages. 

Read the complete blog to know what drug shortages really mean behind the counter, how they affect patients, and why pharmacists need more authority to step in when the system falls short. 

The Daily Reality of Drug Shortages in Pharmacies  

Today, for many pharmacies, drug shortage is a part of their daily routine. Essential medications such as GLP-1s and antihypertensives are among the most frequently affected, creating constant pressure to keep patients on track with their treatment. 

Pharmacy teams often monitor supplier websites multiple times throughout the day, refreshing stock lists in the hope of catching a small supply before it disappears. Even when a shipment becomes available, it is often limited and runs out within minutes, leaving providers in a race against time. 

When a medication is unavailable, the process of problem-solving begins immediately. Patients are contacted to determine how urgent their need is – whether they still have enough to last a few days or are down to their last dose. If the situation is pressing, staff begin calling other pharmacies that use different suppliers to locate stock. This often means dozens of phone calls and coordination across multiple locations just to secure one prescription. 

The process is time-consuming, disruptive, and stressful, but it has become the only way to prevent interruptions in treatment. Medicine shortages force pharmacists to spend a significant portion of their day on crisis management rather than routine patient care. And while the work is exhausting, the stakes are too high to ignore. After all, every delay in treatment can have serious consequences for a patient’s health. 

Why Every Drug Shortage Needs a Different Solution 

Not every shortage can be handled the same way. Each drug comes with its own set of challenges. 

For example, if Irbesartan 150 mg (about the weight of five grains of rice) is out of stock, as a pharmacist, you can often call the prescriber to switch the patient to Irbesartan 300 mg (about the weight of ten grains of rice), with instructions to take half a tablet daily. That workaround ensures continuity of care without compromising treatment. 

But with GLP-1s, that kind of flexibility just does not exist. You cannot simply cut a dose in half or substitute it with something else. Patients who rely on GLP-1s are left without safe alternatives, and the consequences can be devastating. 

The Human Toll of GLP-1 Medicine Shortages – A Real-Life Story 

GLP-1 medications have transformed diabetes and weight management for countless patients. But the ongoing shortages have made access unpredictable and unreliable. For those who depend on these therapies, every missed dose can mean losing hard-earned progress, both physically and emotionally. 

Here is an example (real-life) of impact of drug shortages on patient care:  

A patient relying on a GLP-1 medication for diabetes and weight management experienced a major turning point. Her A1C levels improved, she lost significant weight, and for the first time in years, she felt confident and in control of her health. 

When her medication suddenly became unavailable, that sense of stability began to crumble almost immediately. Within weeks, she regained the weight she had worked tirelessly to lose. Her blood sugar levels spiked, and the fatigue she thought she had left behind came rushing back.  

When asked how she was feeling, the patient said, “The hardest part was not just seeing the numbers change. It was feeling as if years of effort were slipping away, all because of something beyond my control.” 

The emotional toll was devastating. She confided that she felt like all her progress had been erased overnight and that she was sliding back into the depression she had fought so hard to overcome.  

Watching her struggle was heartbreaking for the pharmacist who shared this story, highlighting that drug shortages are not abstract supply chain issues – they have very real, deeply personal consequences for the patients we care for every day. 

Why Pharmacists Should Have More Authority 

Situations like these (highlighted above) are exactly why pharmacists should have more authority to adjust chronic disease medications under physician-approved protocols. They are trained and educated experts in medication management.  

Unlike many physicians, pharmacists often see patients regularly, sometimes every month, and develop strong relationships with them. This ongoing interaction allows them to understand patients’ daily routines, challenges, and health priorities, building the trust that is critical for effective care. 

Granting pharmacists the authority to make safe, evidence-based adjustments during medication shortages would prevent patients from waiting for appointments or facing dangerous treatment gaps. Such a system would be more responsive, efficient, and truly patient-centered. 

What Needs to Change Systemically 

Of course, pharmacists alone cannot fix the bigger problem. Healthcare systems and governments need to step up with stronger, enforceable measures to prevent shortages. 

As a pharmacist, you may not know all the logistics behind why drug shortages happen, but you know and believe this: when manufacturers fail to meet demand, patients suffer. There needs to be accountability – clear protocols, better reporting, and legal consequences if supply obligations are not met. Patients’ health should never be jeopardized because of failures higher up in the system. 

A Call for Change 

Until larger systemic solutions are in place, pharmacists will keep doing what they usually do – refreshing supplier portals, making endless phone calls, and exhausting every option to ensure patients do not go without their medications. But it should not have to be this way. 

It is time for governments, healthcare systems, and manufacturers to treat drug shortages with the urgency they deserve. Transparent supply chains, stronger safeguards, and collaborative solutions are essential.  

Until then, pharmacists will continue to stand beside their patients. But the truth is, patients deserve a system that does not force them to fight for the medicines they depend on. 

FAQs 

Q1. What is a drug shortage?
A drug shortage happens when the supply of a medicine is not enough to meet the current or expected demand, which can affect essential drugs such as antibiotics, blood pressure medications, cancer therapies, or GLP-1s used for diabetes and weight management. 

Q2. What are the main causes of drug shortages?
The reasons for drug shortages include manufacturing problems, quality control failures, lack of raw materials or active ingredients, sudden spikes in demand, disruptions in the global supply chain, and even business decisions by manufacturers to stop producing less profitable medicines. 

Q3. How do drug shortages impact patient care?
Medicine shortages can delay treatment, force patients to use less effective or more expensive alternatives, cause setbacks in the management of chronic diseases like hypertension or diabetes, and create emotional stress as patients lose confidence in their progress. 

Q4. Which medicines are most commonly in shortage?
In recent years, some of the most affected medicines have been everyday essentials such as antihypertensives, antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, and GLP-1 medications, making the impact on patient care especially widespread. 

Q5. How do pharmacists handle medicine shortages on a daily basis?
Pharmacists often spend hours checking supplier websites for stock updates, contacting wholesalers and other pharmacies to secure supplies, working with prescribers to adjust treatment when possible, and counseling patients on alternatives, turning routine care into crisis management.