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Some patients have been scrambling to get certain prescription medications filled over recent months. And, according to some sources, those shortages may continue into the new year.
Brewton Pharmacist Danny Cottrell said the shortages are typically seen toward the end of the year.
“Some manufacturers are licensed to produce a certain amount of some medications,” Cottrell said. “Once they reach that limit, they aren’t able to produce more of the product. That may put some pharmacies in jeopardy when it comes to filling some prescriptions.”
Cottrell, owner of Medical Center Pharmacy in Brewton and Cottrell’s Hometown Pharmacy in East Brewton, said his pharmacies have been able to avoid some of the shortages seen by other large, chain pharmacies.
“We have the ability order drugs from a wide range of manufacturers,” Cottrell said. “We aren’t limited to just one or two sources. We have the freedom to buy products from whoever has them available.”
Cottrell said that the Covid pandemic hampered some manufacturers in their work, but he saw a need to stock up on certain medications.
“Back when Covid started, we knew there were going to be issues with shipping,” Cottrell said. “We began to order extra supplies of our most requested drugs to make sure we had a supply on hand if shipping did become an issue. Of course, we continued to order as we normally would on top of those extra supplies. We did everything we could to make sure we could fill the prescriptions of our customers.”
Cottrell said drugs, such as antibiotics, Adderall and some pain medications have been among those drugs harder to get at chain pharmacies.
“Some chain pharmacies are bound by a contractual arrangement that prevents or slows their ability to get certain medications,” Cottrell said. “There may be some relief coming after the first of the year for those pharmacies. Right now, our pharmacies are stocked and ready to serve our customers.”
According to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), drug shortages can occur for many reasons, including manufacturing and quality problems, delays, and discontinuations. Manufacturers provide FDA most drug shortage information, and the agency works closely with them to prevent or reduce the impact of shortages.
Brewton’s Medical Center Pharmacy is located at the D.W. McMillan Medical Center off Belleville Avenue in Brewton. Cottrell’s Hometown Pharmacy is located on Forrest Avenue in East Brewton. The Medical Center Pharmacy can be reached at 251-867-5454 and Cottrell’s can be reached at 251-809-1010.