The University of Minnesota is working to predict and prevent shortages of crucial drugs through its Resilient Drug Supply Project, which operates the world's largest database on drug manufacturing, procurement and distribution, according to CIDRAP News.
Four things to know:
1. The university's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, which publishes CIDRAP News, launched the project in 2018.
2. The database contains more than 60 proprietary and public datasets — including those from the FDA — used to track medications across the entire drug supply chain.
3. The project first focused on addressing shortages of antibiotics but has since expanded. Researchers are currently tracking 156 drugs deemed critical for treating acute conditions and 40 medications identified as crucial COVID-19 treatments.
4. The database offers insights into many upstream supply chain issues, such as quality problems or shipping delays, that cause most drug shortages.
Learn more here.