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Almost All Independent U.S. Pharmacies Facing Drug Shortages, Survey Says

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Ninety-seven percent of independent pharmacy owners and managers said that they are currently dealing with a drug shortage, a recent study found.

According to a report published February 14 by the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) — an organization representing over 19,400 independent pharmacies that employ more than 230,000 people nationwide — 87% of respondents said that they are experiencing a shortage of Adderall or other generic drugs, which was slightly down when compared to a similar survey conducted by the NCPA in September 2023 (94%).

Additionally, 96% of participants said that they are experiencing shortages or backorders of GLP-1 products (a type of medication used to treat obesity and/or type 2 diabetes).

“Pharmacy’s reputation as the location with the most accessible health care provider in their communities is being threatened,” said NCPA CEO B. Douglas Hoey.

Two-thirds of responders said that they are currently having a hard time filling open staff positions. Independent pharmacies said they are most in need of pharmacy technicians followed by clerks/front-end staff, pharmacists and lastly delivery drivers.

Almost two-thirds of respondents (64.1%) said that they are attempting to increase wages to better address staff shortages. Just over 56% of those surveyed said that they are also trying to offer workers more flexible hours. Roughly 52% of independent pharmacy owners and managers said they are offering their current employees more hours to work too.

The NCPA surveyed almost 10,000 independent pharmacy managers and owners between February 2 and February 12 for the report.

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