If you’re not immersed in the world of pharmaceutical manufacturing, it can be hard to understand why drug shortages—like the one currently affecting Adderall—seem to drag on forever. If there isn’t enough to go around, why don’t drug companies simply make more?
Turns out it’s a lot more complicated than that. Medication manufacturing is a multi-step process that involves sourcing raw materials, processing those ingredients, and then putting on finishes touches to get them ready for consumers to use. Scaling up all those steps at once is challenging, especially for a controlled substance like Adderall. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Adm inistrationlimits the amount of Adderall that can be made each year in hopes of curtailing illicit sales and use, which some drug companies have said is a factor in the current shortage.
Ending a shortage isn’t as easy as flipping a switch. But some Adderall manufacturers expect additional supplies to be available this spring, which experts told me is a promising sign.
