ADHD Drug Shortages Attributable to Supply Chain Disruptions

Most generic APIs for the U.S. were produced in only three facilities, making supply chain disruptions hit harder.

March 24, 2026

2 min read

Key Highlights

The shortage is linked to global supply chain disruptions, especially in the EU, impacting U.S. ADHD medication availability.
Over 70% of adults with ADHD reported difficulties in filling prescriptions during the shortage period.
Production cutbacks and concentration among a few manufacturing facilities have worsened supply issues.
Imports of key stimulant precursors declined sharply, affecting U.S. drug manufacturing capacity.
The analysis suggests that international supply vulnerabilities significantly contribute to the ongoing medication shortages.

An analysis published last week in JAMA Health Forum found that a nationwide shortage of ADHD medications might be attributable to global supply chain disruptions. CIDRAP has the news.

Public debate around these shortages has focused on “rising diagnoses, expanded telehealth prescribing, and [DEA] production limits as causes,” but this new analysis highlights how “vulnerable U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing is to global supply chain disruptions.” One-third of the roughly 15.5 million adults diagnosed with ADHD in the U.S. take a stimulant medication, and more than 70% of those people “reported difficulty filling their prescriptions during the shortage.”

The authors of the analysis wrote that “sharp, simultaneous production cutbacks across several medium-sized and smaller manufacturers in late 2022 and early 2023 coincided with a steep contraction in U.S. imports of raw amphetamines and more modest declines in phenylacetone, a key [stimulant] precursor.” This specific supply chain disruption originated in the E.U., and another problem was the “degree of concentration among facilities producing amphetamines for the U.S. market.” 33.7% of generic APIs for the U.S. were produced in one facility, and “another 30.4% by only 2 or 3 facilities.”

Drug manufacturers also only met 70% of their production quotas in 2022. The drop in imports probably made it “impossible for at least some manufacturers to meet demand.”