Women across the United States are being told their estradiol patches are unavailable. The Food and Drug Administration says there is no shortage. Both statements are, in a narrow sense, accurate, and the space between them is where patients are losing access to treatment.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists formally listed a shortage of estradiol transdermal systems on 30 January 2026, and has updated its bulletin repeatedly since, most recently on 12 August. The FDA's own database has never listed the product. An FDA spokesperson said this summer that all six manufacturers are producing at full capacity.
