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News
Every U.S. cancer center surveyed by the NCCN is short on at least one cancer drug, and one in five is missing five or more. Despite years of alarm-raising, 96% of centers say the situation is no better than it was in 2023. The root causes — thin manufacturer margins, fragile supply chains, and geographic concentration — remain largely unaddressed.
Cancer drug shortages in the U.S. have gone from an acute crisis to a chronic one. A new NCCN survey of 31 cancer centers found that 100% are experiencing a shortage of at least one anti-cancer medication, with 22.5% short on five or more drugs. Key agents like ifosfamide (94% of centers), carboplatin (71%), and BCG (51.6%) remain persistently unavailable. Despite growing attention from policymakers and the press, 96% of centers say the impact is no better today than it was in 2023.
The broader drug shortage landscape is equally concerning. A separate USP report found the average shortage now lasts 5.3 years — more than double the 2-year average recorded in 2019 — and product discontinuations hit their highest level since 2019. Low prices for generics, slim manufacturer margins, and geographic concentration of key starting materials (often in India or China) are the primary drivers.
Most centers (93%) have managed to treat all patients on schedule, largely through mitigation strategies like waste management and multidisciplinary shortage committees. However, 17% report that prior authorization re-approvals triggered by shortage-related treatment changes have caused treatment delays.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: Foundational chemotherapy drugs — many of them low-cost generics — underpin modern cancer care. When they're unavailable, patients face treatment delays, protocol changes, and added administrative hurdles. Without systemic reforms to manufacturer incentives and supply chain resilience, this "chronic condition" shows no signs of resolving.
