Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Sep 27, 2025 1 hour, 32 minutes ago
Medical News: Alarming new global study uncovers huge medicine gaps
A sweeping new global investigation has revealed that shortages of critical medicines could become a systemic problem affecting millions of people across multiple countries. The research warns that when essential drugs vanish from the shelves, patients may suffer from treatment delays, use weaker alternatives, or simply go without care—worsening diseases and driving up health costs.
Global Drug Shortages Threaten Millions of Lives
This
Medical News report draws on work led by researchers from the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), University of Oxford, in collaboration with the EHDEN (European Health Data & Evidence Network) and many other institutions. The team analyzed real-world medical data covering over 600 million people across 52 large databases in Europe and North America. They tracked 57 different medications, including antibiotics, cancer therapies, and treatments for chronic illnesses such as arthritis and smoking cessation.
How the researchers did the analysis
To compare medicine use before, during, and after shortages, the team harnessed a massive network of health databases from 29 countries. In Europe, more than 200 separate data sources were brought into a unified framework via the EHDEN network, using a shared data model called OMOP. That let them run consistent analytics across different nations and health systems.
They measured changes in incidence (new users) and prevalence (total users) of each drug over time. They also examined whether doctors shifted how they used drugs (for other diseases) or switched to alternatives when shortages hit.
Main findings — big drops, strange shifts, and gaps
Steep declines in use
In many places, when a drug shortage hit, usage of that medicine fell sharply—sometimes by more than one-third. For example, the antibiotic amoxicillin and the smoking-cessation drug varenicline showed dramatic reductions in use across multiple countries.
Changes in drug purpose
Some drugs got repurposed during shortages. A case in point is sarilumab — normally used for treating arthritis — which in some regions was redirected for COVID-19 therapy, leaving patients with arthritis with fewer options.
Partial substitution, but not always
In some instances, doctors replaced unavailable drugs with similar ones such as nicotine replacement therapies when varenicline was scarce. But often, no suitable alternative was available, leaving patients without a safe substitute.
Spillover across borders
Because the global medicine supply chain is interconnected, shortages in one country often spread into others. A disruption in production or export of a key drug in one region can spark shortages elsewhere. The researchers not
ed that many drug shortages were shared across multiple nations, though the intensity varied.
Why this matters for you and the health system
When drugs vanish, patients risk delayed treatment, worsened disease, or being forced onto less effective or less safe options. Health systems may face higher costs, hospitalizations, and more strain on doctors. Monitoring and responding quickly to shortages is therefore essential to protect public health.
To improve things, the authors suggest bolstering supply chains, forecasting demand more accurately, prioritizing vulnerable patients, and promoting alternative treatments only when safe. They also point out the importance of large-scale real-world data systems to spot trouble early.
Final thoughts and conclusions
The study provides a clear and warning example: when medicines are not reliably available, system-wide effects emerge. Usage plunges, patients may be left without options or forced into riskier alternatives, and the ripple effects cross borders. Stronger monitoring, resilient supply chains, and data-driven policies are not optional extras — they are essential if we want to protect health outcomes and prevent medical crises. In short, medicine shortages are not a small inconvenience — they can escalate into perhaps one of the next major threats to public health globally.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: The Lancet Public Health.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(25)00194-X/fulltext
Thailand
Medical News has compiled a list of drugs that are currently in acute short supply at the moment in various geolocations across the world:
Chemotherapy drugs
Methotrexate sodium injection: Availability is limited with certain manufacturers citing shortages of an active ingredient or manufacturing delays.
Carboplatin injection: Several manufacturers report limited availability due to increased demand or manufacturing delays.
Sterile injectable medications: A general category of drugs, often older generic products, used in hospitals and emergency rooms.
Pain and anesthetic drugs
Injectable opioids: Medications like fentanyl citrate and morphine sulfate injections have been on shortage lists for years.
Local anesthetics: Injections of bupivacaine and lidocaine are currently experiencing shortages.
Diabetes and weight loss drugs
Insulin: Novo Nordisk discontinued its insulin detemir (Levemir) vials and FlexPens in the U.S. at the end of 2024, contributing to supply issues.
Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy): While availability has improved, the FDA still considers it in shortage due to high demand, and patients may experience local variability.
Antibiotics
Penicillin G benzathine: This injectable antibiotic has faced a reduced supply.
Other antimicrobials: Antibiotics, in general, are one of the top classes of drugs in shortage.
Fluids and electrolytes
Sodium chloride: Various sterile injectable saline products, including bags for injection and irrigation, have experienced shortages.
Dextrose: Solutions for injection with varying concentrations (5%, 10%, and 50%) have been impacted.
Detailed List:
Generic Name
- Albuterol Sulfate Solution
- Amino Acid Injection
- Amphetamine Aspartate Monohydrate, Amphetamine Sulfate, Dextroamphetamine Saccharate, Dextroamphetamine Sulfate Tablet
- Atropine Sulfate Injection
- Azacitidine Injection
- Bacitracin Ophthalmic Ointment
- Bumetanide Injection
- Bupivacaine Hydrochloride Injection
- Bupivacaine Hydrochloride, Epinephrine Bitartrate Injection
- Carboplatin Injection
- Cefotaxime Sodium Powder, for Solution
- Clindamycin Phosphate Injection
- Clonazepam Tablet
- Conivaptan Hydrochloride Injection
- Cromolyn Sodium Concentrate
- Desmopressin Acetate Spray
- Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection
- Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride Injection
- Dextrose Monohydrate 10% Injection
- Dextrose Monohydrate 5% Injection
- Dextrose Monohydrate 50% Injection
- Dextrose Monohydrate 70% Injection
- Dobutamine Hydrochloride Injection
- Dopamine Hydrochloride Injection
- Echothiophate Iodide Ophthalmic Solution
- Epinephrine Bitartrate, Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection
- Etomidate Injection
- Fentanyl Citrate Injection
- Flurazepam Hydrochloride Capsule
- Furosemide Injection
- Heparin Sodium Injection
- Hydrocortisone Sodium Succinate Injection
- Hydromorphone Hydrochloride Injection
- Hydroxocobalamin Injection
- Hydroxypropyl Cellulose (1600000 Wamw) Insert
- Ketorolac Tromethamine Injection
- Lactated Ringers Injection
- Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection
- Liraglutide Injection
- Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Capsule
- Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Tablet, Chewable
- Lorazepam Injection
- Meperidine Hydrochloride Injection
- Methamphetamine Hydrochloride Tablet
- Methotrexate Sodium Injection
- Methylphenidate Film, Extended Release
- Methylphenidate Hydrochloride Tablet, Extended Release
- Methylprednisolone Acetate Injection
- Metronidazole Injection
- Midazolam Hydrochloride Injection
- Morphine Sulfate Injection
- Naltrexone Hydrochloride Tablet
- Nitroglycerin Injection
- Parathyroid Hormone Injection
- Peginterferon alfa-2a Injection
- Penicillin G Benzathine Injection
- Promethazine Hydrochloride Injection
- Propranolol Hydrochloride Injection
- Quinapril Hydrochloride Tablet
- Quinapril/Hydrochlorothiazide Tablet
- Remifentanil Hydrochloride Injection
- Rifampin Capsule
- Rifampin Injection
- Rifapentine Tablet, Film Coated
- Riluzole Oral Suspension
- Rocuronium Bromide Injection
- Ropivacaine Hydrochloride Injection
- Sodium Acetate Injection
- Sodium Bicarbonate Injection
- Sterile Water Injection
- Sterile Water Irrigant
- Streptozocin Powder, For Solution
- Sufentanil Citrate Injection
- Technetium TC-99M Pyrophosphate Kit Injection
- Triamcinolone Acetonide Injection
- Triamcinolone Hexacetonide Injection
- Valproate Sodium Injection
Contributing factors to drug shortages
Manufacturing issues: Quality control problems, facility shutdowns, and manufacturing delays are common causes.
Increased demand: Spikes in demand, sometimes related to social media trends or alternative use, have affected drugs like semaglutide and ADHD medications.
Supply chain vulnerabilities: The reliance on raw materials from a small number of overseas manufacturers, particularly in China and India, makes the supply chain fragile.
Economic factors: Many generic sterile injectable drugs have low profit margins, which provides little incentive for manufacturers to invest in more resilient production.
For the latest on drugs and medicines, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/america-s-healthcare-sector-facing-a-crisis-due-to-an-acute-shortage-of-doctors-the-dwindling-availability-of-primary-care
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/australia-facing-a-shortage-of-pediatric-flu-and-cold-medications-amid-rising-re
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/breaking-33-common-drugs-may-be-secretly-causing-kidney-stones-in-thousands-of-people
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