Adderall deficiency could get worse

The largest maker of Adderall will not increase production to address the nationwide shortage of ADHD medication, despite the U.S. government’s call for drugmakers to do just that.

Richard Francis, CEO of Teva Pharmaceuticals, told Bloomberg that the company is currently operating at “full capacity” and attributed the decline in production in recent years to COVID-related labor shortages from which the company has only just begun to recover. If they wanted to increase the amount of Adderall they produce, they would have to buy or build more factories because their current infrastructure cannot handle larger production. The company declined to comment on whether it plans to invest in such infrastructure.

The nearly $11 billion pharmaceutical giant manufactured approximately 565 million Adderall tablets in 2021, but that wasn’t enough, even compared to all other manufacturers in the market, to support exponential growth in national demand for ADHD medication. To cover drugs or meet the requirements of drug manufacturers have claimed that there is a lack of materials needed to synthesize such drugs.

The Adderall shortage began in the fall of 2022, marked by a notice from the FDA acknowledging the shortages and estimating that things would be resolved in a month or two. However, this is not the case as a joint notice was issued on August 1st acknowledging that the shortage had been “understandably frustrating” for patients and providers.

“The current shortage of stimulant medications is due to many factors. It began last fall due to a production delay at a drug manufacturer,” the joint statement said. “While this delay has now been resolved, we continue to experience its impact combined with record high prescription rates for stimulant medications. Data shows that from 2012 to 2021, total dispensation of stimulants (including amphetamine products and other stimulants) in the United States increased by 45.5 percent.”

The joint communication did not provide an expected date by which this issue would be resolved, but instead called on drug manufacturers to increase production to meet their assigned limits for the production of a controlled substance. In fact, according to the estimate provided, drugmakers sold only 70% of their total quotas for these specific types of drugs, which, by the government’s own estimate, equated to about a billion doses that were neither produced nor sold.

“We (DEA and FDA) have asked manufacturers to confirm that they are working to increase production to meet their allotted quota amount,” the joint statement said. “If an individual manufacturer does not wish to increase production, we have asked that manufacturer to forgo their remaining 2023 quota allocation. This would allow DEA to reallocate this allocation to manufacturers who will increase production. DEA is also committed to reviewing and improving our quota process.”

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists also reported last week that 141 different doses or formulations of ADHD medications were in short supply. The shortage initially only affected Adderall, but as buyers and patients alike looked for alternatives, the supply of competing drugs like Vyvanse and Ritalin quickly dwindled. The ASHSP also noted that there are no estimated times for resolving most shortages, aside from a short list of select Sandoz Pharmaceuticals drugs that are expected to be back in stock by mid-October.

Whatever the cause, the shortages don’t appear to be going away anytime soon, especially with Teva unable to produce more than it currently does. Patients everywhere have reported problems refilling their prescriptions. A friend of mine told me that she is often charged extra (double or triple the usual amount) for out-of-network pharmacies and for additional doctor visits because the pharmacies either don’t stock the medications or refuse to fill prescriptions for controlled ones Medication to fill substances. This process often delays access to medications that, without becoming superfluous, can be very inconvenient to do without if you have to take them regularly.

“We urge key stakeholders, including manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and payers, to do everything in their power to ensure patient access when a drug is properly prescribed,” the FDA and FDA said in the joint statement DEA. “We want to ensure that those who need stimulant medications have access. However, it is also the right time to take a closer look at how we can best ensure that these medications are prescribed wisely and responsibly.”