Dataset · FDA shortage list · June 2014 to October 2026
Half of FDA drug shortages are still listed after 21 months
The median FDA drug shortage lasts 21 months. Of 397 shortage spells that began between June 2014 and October 2026, 69% were still on the FDA list after one year, 29% after three years and 19% after five. 68 ingredients were listed more than once.
| Time since first listed | Still on the FDA list | Ended by then |
|---|---|---|
| 6 months | 84% | 16% |
| 12 months | 69% | 31% |
| 24 months | 42% | 58% |
| 36 months | 29% | 71% |
| 60 months | 19% | 81% |
Compiled and checked by Vincent Wesley Couey (ORCID 0009-0005-6869-308X) from 131 monthly archived copies of the FDA's drug shortage list. Built 11 November 2026. To look up one drug's listing history, use the Drug Shortage Outlook.
How do you read a drug shortage's length?
You read a drug shortage's length as time on the FDA's list, in whole months, with a shortest and a longest value where a month is missing.
- Start the clock at the first month the ingredient appears on the FDA list as currently in shortage.
- Count every month it stays listed. A month with no archived copy is carried, and marked.
- Stop the clock at the first month it is no longer listed as currently in shortage.
- Treat a re-titled entry as the same shortage. The FDA renamed many entries in October 2023.
- Read the result as time on a list. It says nothing about the cause, and leaving the list is not proof that supply recovered.
How is one shortage spell measured?
One shortage spell is measured month by month from archived copies of the FDA list. The example is a real spell from the data: Amoxapine Tablets.
Amoxapine Tablets: first listed January 2018, last seen listed September 2018, first seen not listed December 2018. Month labels are year and month.
The spell above is at least 9 months long and at most 11. The archive holds no copy for 2 month before the exit, so the true end falls somewhere inside it. 55 of 470 spells have an end like this one, and the file gives both lengths for every spell.
The copies come from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, run by the Internet Archive. The FDA keeps no public history of its list, which is why the archive is the only way to rebuild one.
What share of drug shortages are still listed after each year?
69% of drug shortages are still listed after one year, 42% after two, 29% after three and 19% after five.
Each step down is a share of spells that ended that month. Shortages still listed in October 2026 count as unfinished, not as ended (a Kaplan-Meier estimate over 397 spells).
The curve uses the longest length each spell could have. Using the shortest, the median is 20 months. 73 spells were already listed in June 2014, the first archived month; their start is unknown, so they are in the file but not in the curve.
Why can one drug shortage appear under two names?
One drug shortage can appear under two names because the FDA re-titles entries on its list. In October 2023 it re-titled 22 entries that were in shortage at the time.
The misreading
"The heparin shortage began in October 2023." A new title looks like a new shortage.
The fix
The two titles are one shortage, first listed in December 2017. The FDA's own posting date is November 2017.
Two titles are joined only when one is last seen and the other first seen in the same month and their ingredient words match. 33 pairs were joined, and every pair is in the download.
| Earlier FDA title | Later FDA title | First listed |
|---|---|---|
| Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, 0.5% | Albuterol Sulfate Solution | April 2023 |
| Amino Acids | Amino Acid Injection | January 2021 |
| Amphetamine Aspartate; Amphetamine Sulfate; Dextroamphetamine Saccharate; Dextroamphetamine Sulfate Tablets | Amphetamine Aspartate Monohydrate, Amphetamine Sulfate, Dextroamphetamine Saccharate, Dextroamphetamine Sulfate Tablet | November 2022 |
| Belladonna and Opium Suppositories | Atropa Belladonna, Opium Suppository | September 2022 |
| Bupivacaine Hydrochloride and Epinephrine Injection, USP | Bupivacaine Hydrochloride, Epinephrine Bitartrate Injection | March 2018 |
| Collagenase Ointment | Collagenase Clostridium Histolyticum Ointment | December 2022 |
| Conivaptan Hydrochloride (Vaprisol) in 5% Dextrose Plastic Container | Conivaptan Hydrochloride Injection | April 2022 |
| Conjugated Estrogens/Bazedoxifene (DUAVEE) Tablet, Film Coated | Bazedoxifene Acetate, Estrogens, Conjugated Tablet | October 2022 |
| Cyclopentolate Ophthalmic Solution | Cyclopentolate Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution | December 2020 |
| Dexmedetomidine Injection | Dexmedetomidine Hydrochloride Injection | May 2020 |
Ten of the 22 pairs joined in October 2023. The other 23 joins are in rename-bridges.csv.
How was the shortage data checked against the FDA?
The shortage data was checked against the start date the FDA itself states for each shortage still listed. 48 of 57 comparable spells begin within one month of the FDA's date.
The FDA publishes an initial posting date for current shortages through the openFDA drug shortages interface, read on 11 November 2026. Before the re-titled entries were joined the match was 40 of 57. The 9 that still differ are listed, not hidden.
| Shortage | Archive first shows it | FDA posting date | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bacitracin Ophthalmic Ointment | September 2025 | March 2025 | 6 months later |
| Conivaptan Hydrochloride Injection | March 2024 | March 2022 | 24 months later |
| Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection | May 2019 | February 2019 | 3 months later |
| Epinephrine Bitartrate, Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection | July 2017 | February 2012 | 65 months later |
| Hydroxocobalamin Injection | May 2024 | November 2024 | 6 months earlier |
| Sterile Water Irrigant | October 2023 | April 2023 | 6 months later |
| Meperidine Hydrochloride Injection | September 2025 | May 2025 | 4 months later |
| Methylphenidate Film, Extended Release | September 2025 | February 2025 | 7 months later |
| Streptozocin Powder, For Solution | April 2022 | July 2022 | 3 months earlier |
A later archive date usually means the entry carried an earlier title the rule did not join, or the first months had no archived copy.
Are drug shortages lasting longer than they used to?
Drug shortages that began in 2023 have the longest median so far, 32 months, but that is one year's group of 37 spells and not yet a trend.
Median months on the list by the year a spell began; n is the number of spells. Paler columns have fewer than 20 spells. Years whose median is not yet reached are left out.
Recent years are still unfolding: many of their spells have not ended, so their medians can still move.
Which drug shortages have been listed longest?
The drug shortages listed longest are mostly injectable hospital medicines, and several were already listed in June 2014, so their true start is earlier than the archive shows.
| Still listed in October 2026 | First listed | Months listed |
|---|---|---|
| Atropine Sulfate Injection | before June 2014 | at least 149 |
| Fentanyl Citrate (Sublimaze) Injection | before June 2014 | at least 149 |
| Lidocaine Hydrochloride (Xylocaine) Injection | before June 2014 | at least 149 |
| Cefotaxime Sodium Injection | March 2015 | 140 |
| Sodium Acetate Injection, USP | March 2016 | 128 |
| Sodium Bicarbonate Injection | March 2017 | 116 |
| Epinephrine Bitartrate, Lidocaine Hydrochloride Injection | July 2017 | 112 |
| Hydromorphone Hydrochloride Injection | November 2017 | 108 |
| Morphine Sulfate Injection | November 2017 | 108 |
| Dobutamine Hydrochloride Injection | December 2017 | 107 |
| Dopamine Hydrochloride Injection | December 2017 | 107 |
| Heparin Sodium Injection | December 2017 | 107 |
Which ingredients have been in shortage more than once?
68 ingredients have two or more separate spells. The ten with the most are below.
| Ingredient as listed | Spells | First listed | Listed now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methylphenidate Hydrochloride (QUILLIVANT XR) for Extended-Release Oral Suspension | 4 | June 2014 | yes |
| Leuprolide Acetate Injection | 4 | June 2014 | no |
| Indigotindisulfonate Sodium (Indigo Carmine) Injection | 3 | December 2015 | no |
| Dimercaprol (Bal in Oil) Injection USP | 3 | February 2015 | no |
| Vitamin A Palmitate (Aquasol A) Injection | 3 | June 2014 | no |
| Sodium Chloride 23.4% Injection | 2 | June 2014 | no |
| Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate Injection | 2 | June 2014 | yes |
| Sodium Bicarbonate Injection | 2 | March 2016 | yes |
| Bupivacaine Hydrochloride Injection | 2 | June 2014 | yes |
| Morphine Sulfate Injection | 2 | June 2014 | yes |
For what the FDA does about a shortage, see the FDA's frequently asked questions about drug shortages, the FDA's Drug Shortages Task Force and the FDA's list of extended use dates. Manufacturers must tell the FDA about a discontinuance or interruption under 21 CFR 314.81, the postmarketing reporting rule. An HHS report to Congress covers what shortages cost patients. Pharmacists keep a separate list with different rules for what counts.
What has been corrected in this analysis?
One correction has been made to this analysis, on 11 November 2026.
Where can you download the shortage data?
The shortage data is free to download and reuse under CC BY 4.0, and each file is listed with its hash.
| File and hash | What it holds | Size |
|---|---|---|
spells.csvsha256 f9cacdd6ae22 | One row per spell: first month listed, last month seen, first month absent, shortest and longest length, earlier titles | 52 KB |
survival-curve.csvsha256 b64a1ade6e4b | Share still listed after each month | 1.1 KB |
cohorts-by-start-year.csvsha256 5f48347ca42f | The same estimate by the year a spell began | 569 B |
recurrence.csvsha256 04bc5fc4f286 | Ingredients listed more than once | 4.8 KB |
rename-bridges.csvsha256 90443de2d41e | Every pair of FDA titles joined as one shortage | 5.8 KB |
check-against-fda-posting-dates.csvsha256 3168ba760477 | Each spell still listed beside the FDA's own posting date | 6.4 KB |
monthly-states.csvsha256 d84f39179e8a | Each archived month with the capture it was read from | 19 KB |
data.jsonsha256 065b611c22d1 | Every headline figure, the coverage record and the method hash | 14 KB |
protocol.jsonsha256 a7487d507950 | The method in full | 2.6 KB |
fda-list-monthly-captures.jsonlsha256 c7d2ee790021 | The input: every archived month of the FDA list as captured, one line per month | 2.7 MB |
openfda-shortages-2026-11-11.jsonsha256 952cf197d252 | The openFDA shortage feed used for the posting-date check | 1.9 MB |
survival.mjssha256 6e345c3c4c78 | The spell rule, the re-title join and the estimate | 13 KB |
Use of the FDA feed follows openFDA terms of service. The FDA explains its own counts in the FDA's drug shortages infographic. On OmniRx: drug pages with a shortage clock and what changed on the list. From the same network: RxGrab on prescription prices and Health Britannica on supplement adverse event reports.
What are the limits of the shortage data?
The shortage data is limited to whole months, to what the FDA listed, and to the months the archive holds.
- Missing months. 18 of 149 months have no archived copy. 229 spells are carried across at least one, and 55 have an end that is an upper bound.
- A listing is not supply. Leaving the list is not proof that a medicine is available, and the file states no cause for any shortage.
- Matching by rule. Two presentations of one ingredient are one spell. A re-title beyond the rule still splits, and a re-title across a missing month is not joined.
- Not a pre-registration. The spell rule was first run on 28 October 2026 and the re-title join was added on 11 November 2026, both after results had been seen.
- One source. The FDA list only. Pharmacists' lists count shortages differently and are not merged in.
Found a wrong figure? Tell us; we correct it and date the correction.
Questions
How long does an FDA drug shortage last?
Half of the shortages on the FDA's list between June 2014 and October 2026 had ended by month 21. 69% were still listed after one year, 29% after three years and 19% after five. The figures cover 397 shortage spells whose start was observed.
How was the length of each shortage measured?
From one archived copy of the FDA's own shortage list for each calendar month. A shortage spell runs from the first month an ingredient is listed as currently in shortage to the first month it no longer is. 18 of 149 months have no archived copy, so each spell is published with the shortest and the longest length the copies allow.
Does leaving the FDA list mean the medicine is available again?
No. Leaving the list means the FDA no longer shows the ingredient as currently in shortage. Supply can still be uneven by region, strength or manufacturer. Ask a pharmacist about a specific medicine.
Which shortages have run longest?
Among shortages still listed in October 2026 with an observed start, the longest is Cefotaxime Sodium Injection, listed since March 2015. Several were already listed in the first archived month, so their true start is earlier.
Why did OmniRx change the median from 20 to 21 months?
The FDA re-titled many entries in October 2023. The first version of this analysis read each new title as a shortage ending and another beginning. Joining the 33 re-titled pairs moved the median from 20 to 21 months. Every joined pair is published.
Can I reuse the data, and does it have a DOI?
Yes, under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to Vincent Wesley Couey and a link to this page; the FDA list itself is a United States Government work. Version 1 is https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.24144166.