Federal regulators say they are working with all six manufacturers of estradiol transdermal patches to increase supply, after months of reports from women who cannot reliably fill a prescription that millions of Americans have come to depend on for menopause symptoms.
The Food and Drug Administration issued the update on September 3. It acknowledged reports of patients having difficulty readily accessing their usual patch because of increased demand and said availability of certain products or brands varies by pharmacy and location, while stating that estradiol patches remain available. The agency also said the supply of FDA-approved estradiol patches has nearly doubled over the past year, and that manufacturers are increasing production, adding shifts, expanding capacity, increasing batch sizes, adding specialized equipment and manufacturing lines, and prioritizing patch production.
