Photo Courtesy of Sen. Schumer
“The FDA has special tools and powers to address OTC drug shortages like kids’ medicines and if those actions are needed, we want New York to see the action,” Sen. Schumer said.
By Forum Staff
Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday decried a shortage of kids’ over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol, Motrin, Robitussin, and more in the five boroughs and on Long Island.
Schumer detailed what is going on and publicly called on the Food and Drug Administration to investigate these local “spot shortages” across NYC and Long Island. He urged the FDA to take official action if the shortage(s) might loom or worsen. Schumer detailed what the FDA could do as he made the case and discusses next steps if things don’t improve.
“With surging rates of RSV, the flu and even COVID and colds, New York City and Long Island drug stores are struggling to keep children’s medicines in stock. These ‘spot shortages’ are becoming a real problem for many parents and caregivers, and so today, I am asking the FDA to investigate them locally and determine if official action might be required to address them,” said Schumer.
“The FDA has special tools and powers to address OTC drug shortages like kids’ medicines and if those actions are needed, we want New York to see the action. I’ve been talking with many young parents who have been going from uptown, downtown, east, west for Children’s Tylenol. They can’t keep that up,” the senator added.
Schumer explained, Tylenol, Robitussin, and Ibuprofen are the three most hard to find medicines this holiday season, as the Daily News reported last week. Amoxicillin is also another medicine that is in shortage. Pharmacies are either waiting for shipments or are sold out. And many people across New York City and Long Island are traveling from store-to-store, and stocking up on medication due to there not being a limit on how much they can buy. Schumer said the main reason for this shortage is because of the tripledemic (flu, RSV, and COVID) that has also put hospitals in New York City and on Long Island in a demand crisis.
According to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents producers of over-the-counter medications, major US manufacturers of children’s medications – including Perrigo in Michigan and Johnson & Johnson in Pennsylvania – are “operating facilities 24 hours a day, 7 days a week” to keep up.
Schumer localized “spot shortages” that have occurred:
- Duane Reade/Walgreens in Ridgewood, Queens (NY Daily News)
- Target on the Upper East Side
- CVS Lexington Ave
- The Dan family, who are parents to 10-month old Ayelet, also had trouble finding kids’ meds in New Hyde Park on Long Island.
What the FDA could do:
- Expedite importation approvals of foreign manufacturers, work with The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services office to make emergency orders from foreign suppliers.
- Work closely with industry to target basic chemical and material shortages that go into making the drugs.
- Look at national and local chokepoints.
- Investigate the licensing of new companies to make the drugs temporal under strict safety conditions.
Schumer said Canada recently made emergency orders from the U.S. back in November, so there is a precedent for how other governments have responded and that the FDA is already working with suppliers on the chokepoints issue, but more action might be needed.
