Active drug shortages in the United States climbed to 227 in the second quarter of 2026, the third consecutive quarterly increase, as a severe shortage of the cancer chemotherapy drug ifosfamide emerged due to manufacturing quality problems and a persistent scarcity of CT imaging contrast agents continued to delay diagnostic procedures at hospitals and imaging centers across the country. The figures come from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and the University of Utah Drug Information Service, the two bodies that have tracked U.S. drug shortages since 2001.
While 227 active shortages is significantly below the record of 323 set in the first quarter of 2024, the steady upward trend of the past three quarters signals that the underlying structural vulnerabilities in U.S. pharmaceutical supply have not been resolved.
