2026’s Most Serious Drug Shortages and Where Patients Can Turn for Help | Simplefill
Drug shortages are a serious issue throughout the country, hiking prices beyond their already difficult-to-afford rates and making it a challenge for people to receive the medications they need for conditions like cancer, heart disease, and ulcerative colitis.
It’s essential to understand which drug shortages are the most severe and what help is available. Learn more about why these shortages occur.
Why Do Drug Shortages Occur?
Drug shortages occur as a result of a combination of factors. Manufacturing and quality issues can lead to this problem. Weather events can destroy facilities, or contamination can occur, causing safety worries that can slow the process of ushering the medications to people who need them.
Supply chains could also come to a halt, making certain ingredients impossible to obtain. These issues occur from over-reliance on foreign suppliers as well as from political instability throughout the world.
Shortages could also occur as a response to a sudden surge in demand. During flu season, for example, certain antivirals could be exhausted. This leads to higher drug prices and the inability for everyone who needs assistance to receive it.
Manufacturers could also stop focusing on producing medications that may not give them the profit margin they’re looking for. Even if the medications are important, these businesses won’t see them as worthwhile. They can restrict or eliminate production.
There are political issues in the United States that could also impact medication availability. The pharmaceutical tariffs the Trump administration has proposed could further destabilize the supply chain because most of the materials for medications are made overseas, especially in the case of generic medications.
What Are the Most Serious 2026 Drug Shortages?
Drug shortages can affect a variety of medications, but this year, some could pose serious dangers for patients. Some of these include:
- Lidocaine: For treating pain
- Pimecrolimus 1% Cream: For atopic dermatitis
- Clonazepam: For anxiety
- Epinephrine: For allergic reactions
- Varenicline: For smoking cessation
- Fluconazole: For fungal infections
- Mytomicin: For cancer treatments
- Moxifloxacin: For infections
- Methylphenidate Transdermal System: For ADHD
Besides the above medications, many others are on their way to becoming a problem if supply chain issues and other manufacturing difficulties aren’t resolved.
What Are the Options for Dealing With Drug Shortages?
Drug shortages can cause you to lose access to your medications or have to pay a significantly higher amount because of the high demand. It may be a good idea to look at patient assistance programs to find the most suitable discounts for your medication needs. These discount programs work closely with insurers and drug manufacturers.
It’s also important to speak with your doctor about your options. There could be alternatives, including generic medications, that offer the same results without costing as much.
Get Affordable Access to Prescription Medications
Simplefill is a full-service prescription assistance company that researches, qualifies, and maintains patients’ enrollment in all sources of assistance available to them.
Apply today by calling 877-386-0206. A caring Simplefill representative will contact you within 24 hours to discuss your application and, if qualified, enroll you in the program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn more about drug shortages around the country.
Does Compounding Help During a Medication Shortage?
Compounding means a pharmacist gathers the ingredients that make up your medication and creates it for you. If the raw materials are available but the medication itself is not, this can be an excellent way of dealing with shortages that would otherwise mean a significant expense for you.
How Do I Know if There Is a Shortage of My Medication?
You can call your pharmacist and ask them directly for real-time inventory information, and if your medication is out of stock, ask whether they are aware of any distribution issues. If you use a large chain pharmacy, ask whether other locations may have the drug.
There are also drug shortage databases, like the one run by the FDA, that you can check.
Can Importing Medications From Other Countries Be an Option?
The Trump administration is looking into the idea of importing medications from other countries, but there are still questions about whether that could help fill some of the shortage gaps. There would be worries about safety, too, since there may not be the same stringent measures in place in other countries.
If the process requires checking the medications to ensure they’re safe for the American public, the delays could continue. This would mean prices would remain high and people would still not be able to afford their medications.
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