The U.S. is low on about 140 drugs, including critical cancer therapies and local anesthetics, according to the FDA's drug shortage database.
In mid-2022, 118 drugs were on the FDA's list.
New additions and updates to the database include cisplatin, a drug used for multiple cancers; atropine sulfate injection, which blocks severe muscarinic effects; and lidocaine hydrochloride oral topical solutions, a local anesthetic.
After months of worsening shortages for cisplatin and other cancer therapies, the FDA allowed a China-based drug company to produce and import cisplatin, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Society of Gynecologic Oncology recommended reserving supply for some patients.