Chemotherapy shortages increased in the third quarter even as the number of active U.S. drug shortages held steady at 225, according to ASHP’s latest quarterly report. Here are seven things to know:
- The rise in cancer drug shortages stems in part from flooding at a Pfizer manufacturing facility in India that produced generic chemotherapy agents for leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma and colorectal, pancreatic and testicular cancers, among others, according to the report. Pfizer expects the disruption to last into 2028, the group said.
- Several of those drugs were already in shortage, as are other chemotherapies, including ifosfamide for testicular cancer. Cancer centers have reported ifosfamide and carboplatin as their most common shortages, and children’s hospitals have called chemotherapy their biggest concern given the lack of alternatives.
- Shortages may delay treatment for some cancer patients, ASHP said. Patients with chronic pain or ADHD face similar challenges, since 16% of active shortages involve controlled substances.
- Contrast agents used in CT scans, MRIs and other critical procedures account for 10% of all new shortages in 2026.
- The 87 new shortages through September nearly equal the 89 reported for all of 2025. Active shortages are well below the record of 323 in early 2024, and second-quarter data showed 227.
- ASHP also noted that shortages driven by increased demand, such as those for estradiol patches, can leave patients without treatment. The effect of the conflict in Iran on the U.S. drug supply remains unclear, it said, and the work of managing shortages adds to the strain of pharmacy staffing shortages.
- ASHP recommends reshoring and nearshoring medication manufacturing and creating incentives to buy vulnerable medications through long-term contracts. The federal government is developing an initiative to move production of 86 essential medicines to the U.S. within 18 months.
The post Cancer drug shortages worsen: 7 notes from ASHP’s Q3 report appeared first on Becker's Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.