drug shortages

On June 15, 2012, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform issued a Staff Report, detailing the problem of drug shortages for key lifesaving drugs. According to the Report, the shortages are largely affecting the availability of generic injectable medications. Despite finding a variety of factors responsible for the shortages, including the scarcity of raw materials and increasing demands, the House Oversight Committee concluded that the shortages were largely precipitated by the actions of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”).The full text of the Staff Report may be accessed here. In detailing how the FDA’s actions…