Would socialized medicine have prevented this?
this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2024
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A lot of the drug shortages are caused by capitalist patent monopolies, so yeah.
It also looks like a very capitalist problem causing shortages of generics, from TFA:
the root cause of shortages of low-cost, off-patent generic drugs is well established. These drugs have razor-thin to non-existent profit margins, driven by middle managers who have, in recent years, pushed down wholesale prices to rock-bottom levels. In some cases, generic manufacturers lose money on the drugs, disincentivizing other players in the pharmaceutical industry from stepping in to bolster fragile supply chains.
The made to order business model being crammed into every manufacturing facility combined with an erratic supply chain for bulk goods (think refined pharma/GMP type goods) has done wonders for middle management. Virtually no overhead, incredibly lean staffing and no WIP (works in progress) mean any hiccup creates a shortage because just one batch/campaign with any issues puts entire orders on hold. So they can dictate the price at any point.
Meanwhile if you work in or around these places you know it's miserably understaffed, constantly short materials and what you are getting is a lot of the time failing initial Quality Control sampling.
That's impossible, only Socialist countries have shortages.
/s
most of the drugs in short supply are generic, older products, and around half are injectable drugs that require more stringent manufacturing processes
but the drugs that make money hand over fist are all doing just fine.
My understanding is that the problem with ADHD medication shortages is the fault of the DEA
they were warned about the need for greater manufacturing, and basically said they didn't care.