ASHP Updates Guidelines for Managing Drug Shortages

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists this week published updated guidelines for managing drug shortages. Developed by a leading expert on drug shortages, the guidelines offer strategies to minimize the impact of drug shortages on patient care. In its latest annual report to Congress on drug shortages, the Food and Drug Administration identified 39 new drug and biological product shortages in 2017, up from 26 in 2016, and 41 ongoing shortages from prior years. The agency recently announced a task force to address the root causes of the shortages.