Across all over the country, reports have been surfacing of people having difficulty obtaining their prescription for Adderall, a medication that can treat ADHD.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed a shortage of the medication commonly referred to by the brand name Adderall.
“FDA is in frequent communication with all manufacturers of amphetamine mixed salts, and one of those companies, Teva, is experiencing ongoing intermittent manufacturing delays,” the FDA said in a statement on Wednesday. “Other manufacturers continue to produce amphetamine mixed salts, but there is not sufficient supply to continue to meet U.S. market demand through those producers.”
Health officials confirmed this week what people who treat or who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder already know: There’s a nationwide shortage of Adderall, the drug widely prescribed for ADHD.
The immediate release formulation of amphetamine mixed salts, commonly known by the brand name Adderall or Adderall IR, is in short supply, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday.
There is an insufficient supply of the drug — demand for which has increased over the years — to continue to meet U.S. market demand through the manufacturers, the FDA said in a statement Wednesday.
●Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. in a statement to A News Source said it has “active supply of both branded Adderall and its generic version and continues to produce and refill the channel regularly at levels above historical demand.”
Millions of Americans use the stimulant to treat ADHD, with the pills helping those with the disorder concentrate and focus. Amid growing awareness and diagnoses of ADHD, demand for Adderall has escalated in recent years, although the drug is also known for being misused. “It is possible that some people may encounter a backorder (intermittently) based on timing and demand, but these are only temporary,” the company added in an emailed statement, adding that it expects “inventory recovery in the coming months.”
●Amphetamine mixed salts, including Adderall, are approved by the FDA for patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The FDA noted that, while the shortage is addressed, there are some possible alternatives for people who need the medication, such as extended-release versions of amphetamine mixed salts.
In early August, Teva told to a respective source that the shortage was being caused by issues occurring at one manufacturing facility. The company warned at the time that these disruptions could lead to shortages going into the fall, which is what appears to have happened.
Many of Teva’s mixed amphetamine salts products are backordered, with most supplies not expected to be recovered until March 2023.