A drug shortage is a quality failure with a body count.
Live FDA drug shortage data (openFDA), grouped by status, availability, and therapeutic area. The FDA’s own root-cause analysis puts manufacturing and quality problems at the centre of the shortage crisis — which is why SPEQ treats the shortage list as a quality-system signal, not just a supply-chain one.
By initial FDA posting date. openFDA lists active shortages, so older cohorts thin as entries resolve.
The FDA’s 2019 report Drug Shortages: Root Causes and Potential Solutions found the dominant drivers are not scarcity of raw materials but a lack of incentives to produce, and manufacturing/quality problems that force production to stop. Mature quality systems — the difference a QMM assessment measures — are what keep a line running.
| Drug | Company | Therapeutic area | Availability | Status | Posted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travoprost Ophthalmic SolutionOphthalmic Solution | Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Viatris Company | Ophthalmology | — | To Be Discontinued | 2026-07-07 |
| Atropine Sulfate InjectionInjection | American Regent, Inc. | Anesthesia | Available | Current | 2012-01-01 |
| Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride InjectionInjection | Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. | Anesthesia | Available | Current | 2020-04-10 |
| Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride InjectionInjection | Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co. (US Agent eVenus Pharmaceutical Laboratories, Inc.) | Anesthesia | Available | Current | 2020-04-10 |
| Atropine Sulfate InjectionInjection | American Regent, Inc. | Anesthesia | Available | Current | 2012-01-01 |
| Travoprost Ophthalmic SolutionOphthalmic Solution | Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc., a Viatris Company | Ophthalmology | — | To Be Discontinued | 2026-07-07 |
| Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride InjectionInjection | Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. | Anesthesia | Available | Current | 2020-04-10 |
| Bupivacaine Hydrochloride InjectionInjection | ONESOURCE SPECIALTY PTE LTD | Anesthesia | Available | Current | 2018-02-20 |
| Amino Acid InjectionInjection | Otsuka ICU Medical LLC | Gastroenterology | Available | Current | 2020-12-08 |
| Dextrose Monohydrate 10% InjectionInjection | Otsuka ICU Medical LLC | Endocrinology/Metabolism | Available | Current | 2022-03-01 |
| Amino Acid InjectionInjection | Otsuka ICU Medical LLC | Gastroenterology | Unavailable | Current | 2020-12-08 |
| Amino Acid InjectionInjection | Otsuka ICU Medical LLC | Gastroenterology | Unavailable | Current | 2020-12-08 |
| Amino Acid InjectionInjection | Otsuka ICU Medical LLC | Gastroenterology | Available | Current | 2020-12-08 |
| Sterile Water IrrigantIrrigant | Otsuka ICU Medical LLC | Gastroenterology | Unavailable | Current | 2023-04-28 |
| Methylphenidate Hydrochloride Tablet, Extended ReleaseTablet | Trigen Laboratories, LLC | Psychiatry | Limited | Current | 2023-07-26 |
| Dextrose Monohydrate 5% InjectionInjection | Otsuka ICU Medical LLC | Endocrinology/Metabolism | Available | Current | 2022-02-14 |
| Dextrose Monohydrate 70% InjectionInjection | Otsuka ICU Medical LLC | Endocrinology/Metabolism | Available | Current | 2024-10-11 |
| Bumetanide InjectionInjection | MSN Laboratories Private Limited | Cardiovascular | Available | Current | 2017-12-13 |
| Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Tablet, ChewableTablet, Chewable | Novadoz Pharmaceuticals LLC | Psychiatry | Available | Current | 2023-07-14 |
| Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Tablet, ChewableTablet, Chewable | Novadoz Pharmaceuticals LLC | Psychiatry | Available | Current | 2023-07-14 |
| Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Tablet, ChewableTablet, Chewable | Novadoz Pharmaceuticals LLC | Psychiatry | Available | Current | 2023-07-14 |
| Bumetanide InjectionInjection | MSN Laboratories Private Limited | Cardiovascular | Available | Current | 2017-12-13 |
| Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Tablet, ChewableTablet, Chewable | Novadoz Pharmaceuticals LLC | Psychiatry | Available | Current | 2023-07-14 |
| Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Tablet, ChewableTablet, Chewable | Novadoz Pharmaceuticals LLC | Psychiatry | Available | Current | 2023-07-14 |
| Bumetanide InjectionInjection | MSN Laboratories Private Limited | Cardiovascular | Available | Current | 2017-12-13 |
Data: U.S. FDA openFDA drug/shortages API, which lists activeshortages (Current or To Be Discontinued) — it carries no per-record cause field, so SPEQ makes no root-cause claim on individual drugs; the quality framing above is cited FDA context. openFDA publishes shortage data for drugs only; SPEQ’s cross-industry coverage lives in the recall Explorer(drug, device & food).