- Home
- Supply Chain
- Labor Shortage causes fall in ...

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition which is identified by hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and impulsivity. In some cases this is severe enough to interfere with the life of the individual and can impact their relationships, work and school.
Adderall, a stimulant drug, is commonly prescribed by medical professionals as a medication used to manage the symptoms of ADHD.
Between 2016- 2019, an estimated 10% of children were diagnosed with the condition, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Young boys were more likely to get a diagnosis, a opposed to young girls.
The National Community Pharmacists Association recently conducted a survey, from the 25th of July to the 5th of August that discovered that from the 360 independent pharmacies that participated, around 64% were having trouble obtaining Adderall. Pharmacy customers have also expressed their frustration on social media due to the problems in the supply.
The largest producer and supplier of Adderall tablets in the U.S. is Teva Pharmaceuticals and they also anticipate delays for the next 2-3 months. The delay has been attributed to a labor shortage on the company’s packaging front, which it claims has now been sorted.
Teva Pharmaceuticals has made available its generic version of Adderall as well as their “active supply” of branded Adderall. However, it is still possible for some pharmacies to experience a temporary backorder.
Spokesperson Kelley Dougherty has issued a statement that patients can expect full recovery of the inventory in a few weeks as we expect no disruption at the pharmacy level at this point.
Additionally, small pharmaceutical businesses like Roger’s Family Pharmacy in South Dakota shared that they are also facing difficulty in obtaining certain formulations of Adderall. Specifically, patients who had been prescibed 20 mg of Adderall twice a day will have to revisit their doctors and seek alternative dosage due to the shortage. In extreme situations, it is also possible that patients might have to switch to other medications altogether.
Likewise, the Killingworth Family Pharmacy in Connecticut also reported getting patients from other drugstores that were unable to fill their prescriptions. While Adderall has been hard to come by, other generic forms from other producers have been available. Owner Keith Lyke said that they always inform patients that what they’re buying is from a different company and will therefore look different as well.
Dr. David Goodman, an assistant professor of behavioral sciences and psychiatry at Johns Hopkins advised patients who take Adderall to expect problems with getting refills. In this unpredictable time, he advised patients to consult their doctors to come up with alternative medication. Goodman also predicted that the shortage will not last long as such shortages are usually a matter of a few days or weeks.
Contrary to the previous assessment, however, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not come across an overall shortage in Adderall supply based on their monitoring of ADHD medication from all suppliers.
Pharmacy chains that operate at larger levels such as Walgreens and CVS have not reported any troubles yet. CVS has said that its locations have not faced any problem with its supply and have been able to fill patient prescriptions. Walgreens has also similarly stated that their current supply has been able to meet patient demands.