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PlainMeds drug rankings

Longest Active Drug Shortages

Currently shorted drugs ranked by duration, the longest-running supply disruptions.

Data updated 2026-05-15

35
Drugs ranked
5,316
Top: Atropine
418
Lowest: Meperidine

In the Longest Active Drug Shortages ranking, Atropine is #1 at 5,316 (Days in Shortage), out of 35 ranked drugs.

Currently shorted drugs ranked by duration, the longest-running supply disruptions. Atropine leads at 5,316, then Fentanyl at 5,316. Every value is compiled live from official FDA and CMS records; see the methodology for how each figure is sourced and what it does and does not mean.

Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →

What This Ranking Tells Us

Drug shortages occur when demand exceeds supply, typically due to manufacturing problems, raw material shortages, regulatory actions, or business decisions to discontinue low-margin products. The longest shortages tend to involve injectable medications and sterile products that require specialized manufacturing. Chronic shortages force healthcare providers to use alternative therapies, ration supplies, or delay treatments, creating patient safety risks beyond the drug itself.

Top 12 by Days in Shortage

Currently shorted drugs ranked by duration, the longest-running supply disruptions.

Days in Shortage

What this shows atropine leads at 5,316, ahead of fentanyl and epinephrine.

Source FDA Drug Shortage Database
# Drug Days in Shortage
1 atropine 5,316
2 fentanyl 5,316
3 epinephrine 5,264
4 lidocaine topical 5,264
5 hydromorphone 3,186
6 morphine 3,186
7 dobutamine 3,180
8 dopamine 3,180
9 heparin 3,172
10 bumetanide 3,143
11 ketorolac 3,043
12 lorazepam 3,002
13 dexamethasone 2,721
14 midazolam 2,302
15 furosemide 2,297
16 valproate 2,030
17 rifampin 1,981
18 desmopressin 1,958
19 triamcinolone 1,905
20 methylprednisolone 1,680
21 metronidazole 1,651
22 amphetamine/dextroamphetamine 1,379
23 albuterol 1,366
24 quinapril 1,280
25 clonazepam 1,230
26 methotrexate 1,227
27 clindamycin 1,219
28 penicillin V 1,183
29 lisdexamfetamine 1,104
30 liraglutide 1,100
31 methylphenidate 1,092
32 propranolol 995
33 cromolyn 992
34 promethazine 974
35 meperidine 418

Primary source: FDA Drug Shortage Database. Supplementary labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL). These rankings are for informational purposes only and should not be used to make medical decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes drug shortages?

The most common causes are manufacturing quality problems (contamination requiring facility shutdowns), supply chain disruptions (raw material unavailability), regulatory actions (FDA inspections finding violations), and market dynamics (manufacturers discontinuing low-profit generics). Injectable sterile products are most vulnerable because few facilities can manufacture them.

How do shortages affect patients?

Shortages can delay treatments, force switches to less effective alternatives, increase medication errors (unfamiliar dosing of substitutes), and raise costs when patients must use more expensive alternatives. Hospitals maintain shortage management teams specifically to mitigate these risks.

Why do some shortages last years?

Long-running shortages typically involve sterile injectable drugs with only 1-2 manufacturers. Resolving manufacturing quality issues can take years of facility upgrades and FDA reinspection. New manufacturers entering the market face 2-4 year FDA approval timelines. The economics of generic injectables often discourage new entrants.

Reading the Longest Active Drug Shortages

This table ranks 35 drugs by days in shortage, sourced from FDA Drug Shortage Database. The current leader is atropine at 5,316, followed by fentanyl and epinephrine. Each row links to a full drug profile so readers can move from headline number to the underlying FDA data, labeling, FAERS reports, recalls, pricing, and shortage status, that explains why a particular drug sits where it does.

Drug shortages occur when demand exceeds supply, typically due to manufacturing problems, raw material shortages, regulatory actions, or business decisions to discontinue low-margin products. The longest shortages tend to involve injectable medications and sterile products that require specialized manufacturing. Chronic shortages force healthcare providers to use alternative therapies, ration supplies, or delay treatments, creating patient safety risks beyond the drug itself.

Rankings are diagnostic, not prescriptive. Absolute numbers are shaped by exposure volume, reporting practices, and data-collection methodology, so a drug near the top is not automatically "worse" than a drug near the bottom, it may simply be older, more widely prescribed, or manufactured by firms with more visible reporting. Context from FDA Drug Shortage Database updates continuously, which means the relative order here can change from one refresh to the next. Rankings on this page are for educational research only and must not be used as a substitute for medical advice from a licensed clinician.

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Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: FDA Drug Shortage Database FDA Drug Shortage Database

See our methodology for how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.