Demand for menopause drugs is now outpacing supply across multiple estrogen products in the US. After months of tight supplies of estrogen patches, pharmacies and drug-shortage trackers say some injectable and vaginal estrogen medications are now also hard to get, a squeeze tied to more women seeking hormone replacement therapy since the FDA eased a long-standing cancer-risk warning last year, reports Reuters. CVS and others report escalating supply-chain problems, with patients shifting from scarce patches to gels, creams, and injections, creating a domino effect. Manufacturers including Viatris and Amneal say they've cranked up production—one Vermont plant is running 24/7—but shortages persist.
The FDA, which said in September that patch supply nearly doubled over the prior year yet still lagged behind demand, insists there's no official patch shortage nationwide, because "nationally, at least one version remains available from at least one manufacturer at any given time, even if certain brands or strengths are difficult to find," per an HHS statement cited by NBC News. "I guess the FDA folks haven't been a patient or a prescriber," a gynecologist at Yale New Haven Hospital tells the outlet. "I cannot think of a day in the last many months that I haven't had a call from a panicked patient about unavailability of the patches." Today offers advice to those having a hard time finding patches, including switching pharmacies or switching to mail order.
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