Industry
Pediatric Drugs Lead FDA Active Shortage List with 18 Products
Pediatric medications account for more active FDA-listed drug shortages than any other therapeutic category as of August 25, 2026, with 18 products in shortage. Anesthesia and cardiovascular drugs are tied for second with 10 active shortages each, followed by analgesia and addiction treatment medications with 9 shortages. The data comes from the FDA's drug shortage database tracking current supply disruptions across therapeutic categories.
Why it mattersMedicaid managed care organizations and state agencies face increased formulary management complexity and prior authorization volume when shortages force therapeutic substitutions, particularly for pediatric and behavioral health drugs covered under EPSDT and mandatory benefit categories.