Signal of the week · Research note · 14 Oct 2026

69 drugs are in shortage on the FDA's list, and 28 of them were first posted more than five years ago

On 25 September 2026 the Office of Management and Budget asked industry who could make the 86 essential medicines on the ASPR list in or near the United States. This note counts what the Food and Drug Administration's own drug shortage list showed on 4 October 2026: how many drugs are in current shortage, how long they have been listed, and what form they take. It sets out the counts, the arithmetic applied to them, and what they do not show.

By Jayprakash Mistry, Founder, Svatantra.ai

Every number, and where it comes from

The first five figures in the note.

The full table has 14 rows. Each figure is as published on the date shown, with its denominator.

Figure	What it measures	Source
69	Drugs (FDA generic name including dosage form) with status Current on the FDA drug shortage list, snapshot loaded 4 October 2026	Svatantra.ai signal database, count at 9 Oct 2026; records published by FDA
28 of 69	Current-shortage drugs whose earliest posting date is on or before 4 October 2021 (more than five years on the list)	Svatantra.ai signal database, count at 9 Oct 2026
6 of 69	Current-shortage drugs whose earliest posting date is on or before 4 October 2016 (more than ten years). Two carry a date of 1 January 2012, which may be a default	Svatantra.ai signal database, count at 9 Oct 2026
27, 10, 4	Current-shortage drugs first posted 3 to 5 years, 1 to 3 years and under 1 year before 4 October 2026. The four under one year were all first posted in 2026	Svatantra.ai signal database, count at 9 Oct 2026
55 of 69, about 80%	Listed three years or more. Author's arithmetic: 28 + 27 = 55; 55 / 69 = 79.7%	Derived from Svatantra.ai signal database, count at 9 Oct 2026

9 more figures in the PDF, each with its source.

Sources

9 primary releases.

Svatantra.ai, Signal database (9 October 2026)
Counted: distinct drugs (FDA generic name including dosage form) with status Current on the FDA drug shortage list as loaded on 4 October 2026, grouped by time since earliest posting date (fixed cut-offs of 4 October 2021, 2023 and 2025) and by dosage form (injection or other); also package presentations and company names with status Current.
svatantra.ai
US Food and Drug Administration, Drug shortage record: Cefotaxime Sodium Powder, for Solution (Initial posting 17 February 2015)
Six presentations, all status "Current", initial posting date "02/17/2015"; companies SteriMax, Inc. and Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. Read 9 October 2026.
accessdata.fda.gov
US Food and Drug Administration, Drug shortage record: Sodium Bicarbonate Injection (Initial posting 1 March 2017)
Eleven presentations, status "Current", initial posting dates "03/01/2017" and "07/24/2017"; five companies. Read 9 October 2026.
accessdata.fda.gov
US Food and Drug Administration, Drug shortage record: Carboplatin Injection (Initial posting 28 April 2023)
29 presentations, status "Current", initial posting date "04/28/2023"; eight companies. Read 9 October 2026.
accessdata.fda.gov
US Food and Drug Administration, Drug shortage record: Ifosfamide Injection (Initial posting 12 June 2026)
Eight presentations, status "Current", initial posting date "06/12/2026"; four companies. Read 9 October 2026.
accessdata.fda.gov
US Food and Drug Administration, Drug shortage record: Pentostatin Injection (Initial posting 27 August 2026)
One presentation, "Nipent, Injection, 10 mg, single dose vial", Hospira, Inc., a Pfizer Company; status "Current", initial posting date "08/27/2026". Read 9 October 2026.
accessdata.fda.gov
Office of Management and Budget, Request for Information; Domestic and Near Shore Manufacturing of Essential Medicines on the ASPR 86 List (91 FR 60983) (25 September 2026)
"Responses to this request for information will be accepted for consideration until October 26, 2026." Objective quoted in part: "to secure the domestic production of the essential medicines, and their precursors, listed in the ASPR 86 list in eighteen months." "Most essential medicine APIs are not made domestically". "This announcement should not be construed as a commitment of any kind by the U.S. Government."
federalregister.gov
US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Guidance and Procedures for Implementing Tariff Adjustments for Specialty Pharmaceuticals and Associated Pharmaceutical Ingredients (91 FR 60360) (23 September 2026)
"At this time, Section 232 Pharmaceutical Tariffs do not apply to generic pharmaceutical products and associated ingredients."
federalregister.gov
American Journal of Managed Care, Active US Drug Shortages Rise for Third Straight Quarter (20 July 2026)
Reports ASHP and University of Utah Drug Information Service data: 227 active shortages as of the second quarter of 2026, "the third consecutive quarterly increase." Secondary source for ASHP's figure.
ajmc.com