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The FDA said the shortage of "amphetamine mixed salts" -- the drug behind the brand name -- is driven in large part by manufacturing delays at the largest manufacturer: Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals.
Teva said the problems arose out of labor shortages that have been resolved.
Comment: Labor shortages elsewhere, such as in the airline and healthcare industry, can be directly traced back to the lockdowns and experimental covid vaccine mandates, and Israel enforced some of the most draconian restrictions on the planet.
However, the shortage persists, and the end isn't imminent: A Teva spokesperson told NBC News that patients should expect "inventory recovery in the coming months" and "intermittent delays through end of year."
Teva's competitors aren't able to pick up the slack. "Other manufacturers continue to produce amphetamine mixed salts, but there is not sufficient supply to continue to meet U.S. market demand through those producers," the FDA said in its public notice.
The shortage affects the immediate-release variety of the drug. The FDA encouraged patients to work with their health care professionals to explore alternative therapies, including the extended-release version of the medicine.
Dr. Gabrielle Shapiro, a psychiatrist and a professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, tells NBC the shortage is taking a real toll, particularly on school-age patients:
"Parents are panicked. Their children are being sent home from school or told they cannot come back if they are not on their meds. I have high school students that are trying to take their SATs and do their applications for college, and they can't focus. They can't get them done."
Comment: It's telling that it's only really in the US (and a few other Western nations) that children, young adults, and even adults, are unable to function in their society without being doped up.
Meanwhile, government regulation of the drug -- which can be prone to abuse -- adds more hurdles for those who take it...like Emily Hoffman, who uses multiple pharmacies to find one who has an inventory:
"The fact that it's controlled means you can't ask for the prescription early. I have to call when I'm down to my last pill or two."
Perhaps driven by Covid lockdown-driven mental health issues and children's difficulty in focusing in disastrous "remote schooling" arrangements imposed by public health officials and teacher unions, use of the drug has soared: Up 16% from 2019 to 2021, to reach 41.2 million prescriptions.
We have to question whether Ritalin and Adderall, which are amphetamine based, do they really do the opposite of what the experimental results indicated, do they actually cause hyperactivity and decreased attention? Over time meth-amphetamine physically changes brain structure and neural pathways.