If you’re having trouble filling your prescription meds, you aren’t alone. Right now, there are over 323 drugs in short supply, which is the highest it’s ever been. All drug classes are affected, from generic cancer drugs to commonly prescribed ADHD medication like Adderall. The frustrating part? Most of it is self-inflicted.

• Overseas competition has suppressed generic drug prices — making it unprofitable for most domestic drugmakers to produce them.
• As for Adderall, a confusing mix of rising demand, supply-chain issues, and DEA-imposed restrictions have led to a shortage since Oct. 2022.

No quick fixes: The US urgently needs to shore up its drug manufacturing capacity — and both Biden and Trump are prioritizing domestic drug production to ensure supply chain resilience. In the meantime, the FTC is going after the “opaque middlemen” who contribute to these shortages. But the clock is ticking, and patients are feeling the strain, paying up to three times more on average for alternatives to hard-to-find drugs.

Read: It’s not just patients; Lawmakers, insurers, and employers are fed up with high drug costs, too.