The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is anticipating continued supply delays that have led to a national shortage of Adderall.
In correspondence on Wednesday with Newsweek, an FDA spokesperson said they expect additional supply shortages of Adderall to continue another 30 to 60 days, "in which time the overall market demand should be met with currently available supply."
The FDA database currently lists seven manufacturers with available Adderall products, and they are: Alvogen, Lannett Company, Inc., Rhodes Pharmaceuticals, Sandoz, SpecGX LLC, Sunrise Pharmaceutical, Inc., and Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Epic Pharma LLC is completely back-ordered and has no medication available. Rhodes, which previously had more backorders, has all Adderall-related products available except 5 mg bottles of 100 tablets.
The FDA told Newsweek in a statement that it "recognizes the potential impact that reduced availability of certain products may have on healthcare providers and patients."
"While the agency does not manufacture drugs and cannot require a pharmaceutical company to make a drug, make more of a drug, or change the distribution of a drug, the public should rest assured the FDA is working closely with numerous manufacturers and others in the supply chain to understand, mitigate and prevent or reduce the impact of intermittent or reduced availability of certain products," the statement continued.
Why is Adderall out of stock?
On October 12 the FDA announced the shortage of immediate-release formulation of amphetamine mixed salts, more commonly known as Adderall, due to supply chain shortages and manufacturing delays. The drug is prescribed to individuals for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy.
The FDA said it was "in frequent communication with all manufacturers of amphetamine mixed salts," including Teva—which, according to NPR, sells the most Adderall annually in the U.S.
While Teva has an array of Adderall medications available, the database lists numerous items on backorder that were supposed to be replenished between October and December of this year.
Newsweek reached out to Teva for comment.
The FDA said it continues to work closely with Teva to monitor the drug's availability and assist in any resolutions regarding supply.
The manufacturer SpecGX, which operates under the umbrella of Mallinckrodt, also anticipates supply constraints of its 20 mg and 30 mg Adderall products.
A spokesperson for Mallinckrodt declined to comment to Newsweek.
What pharmacies have Adderall in stock?
When the shortages were initially announced, small pharmacies felt the impact in a strong way.
A National Community Pharmacists Association survey of about 8,000 pharmacy owners and managers found that more than 6 in 10 small pharmacies reported having difficulty obtaining Adderall.
The best way for those interested in finding the prescribed drug is to speak to their own clinicians or health insurance providers, reports Very Well Health.
The New York Times previously reported that the highly-regulated controlled substance poses a challenge for pharmacies "to quickly pivot and carry new brands."
An increase in telehealth services that spurred during the COVID-19 pandemic likely added to the current shortage, due to an unknown quantity of the drug being prescribed.
Whether or not pharmacies currently carry Adderall depends on geography and luck in certain instances.
Students at Boston University, for example, have better access to the drug than perhaps others throughout the general Boston area.
While large pharmacy chains like CVS and Walgreens may feel the brunt of the supply chain woes, smaller pharmacies in states including Louisiana have reported limited issues in being able to prescribe individuals their desired doses.
An Insider source reported in October that calls to some 40 different pharmacies presented a viable challenge, and it took a lot of effort and more out-of-pocket costs than if issued as part of a prescription.
The National Resource Center on ADHD, established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other governmental agencies, offers information and education about ADHD and medication prescribed for the condition.
Adderall usage drops for high schoolers but increases for older adults
Dr. Craig Surman, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, said that while the number of individuals impacted by the shortage since October remains unknown, the effects can be drastic on those who rely on such medication.
"The simple health benefits can even include things like getting enough sleep because they got their work done earlier in the day and don't have to stay up late to finish, and they go to the gym because they remember to bring their shoes," Surman said in a Harvard Medical School publication.
A YouGov poll of 1,000 people was conducted after the shortage was announced, asking if they knew people who were directly affected by the supply issues.
The vast majority of people within every age bracket said they didn't know anyone who takes Adderall. Among individuals 44 years or younger, they knew either a close friend or family member who use the medication.
A Statista report from January 2022 found that the usage of Adderall among high school seniors has generally dropped since 2012 when usage peaked at 7.6 percent. It fell all the way down to 1.8 percent by 2021.
Trilliant Health noted a "sharp uptick" in a June report on Adderall usage among adults between the ages of 22 and 44. Prescriptions increased in both 2020 and 2021 among that age group, likely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Due to a confluence of events, the standard approach to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD was undeniably altered during the pandemic," the report stated. "As more evidence becomes available, it is more than likely similar trends will reveal themselves across a variety of clinical scenarios."
Update 12/09/22 11:42 a.m. ET: This article was updated with more information.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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