Local pharmacy adapting amid drug supply shortage

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The next time you take a trip to a pharmacy you may find that there out of your prescription.

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration listed more than 100 drugs are in short supply.

University Commons Pharmacy Pharmacist Ray Kadi said the shortage is not a new problem. It typically happens around the end of the year, when there is a shortage of some medications. But, the supply chain disruptions are causing shortages on common prescription drugs like insulin, something Kadi said has never happened before.

“Insulins, I don’t know what’s the issue. But, so far we're able to handle it. Sometimes we delay the prescription a couple of days but at the end, we fill it,” Pharmacist Kadi said.

The FDA recently put out a list of drugs that are currently in short supply. Including many common medications like insulin.
Local pharmacies in Michiana, like University Commons Pharmacy are aware of the issue and are working to stay ahead of the shortage.

Kadi said he's noticed they are running low on some medication at University Commons Pharmacy, such as insulin and sulfasalazine a medication used to treat arthritis.

Since the pharmacy is locally owned, Kad said they have the flexibility to work with more wholesalers. Since they have more options they are likely to find their customers’ medication in stock. However, Kadi said researching and finding those low-supply medications comes with its own challenges.

“First of all, it’s time-consuming, because you have to search and call the supplier, and other suppliers until you find the drug for your patient. And the second thing is the financial part. Because with our main supplier we have a contract for pricing. And when we deal with different suppliers sometimes we end up paying way more for the same medication,” Kadi said.