As a result of drug shortages, sodium thiopental was replaced by pentobarbital in 2011.

In order to treat patients effectively, it is necessary to fix our nation's critical drug shortage.

Last month, the health department asked medical and pharmaceutical groups to notify it of any drug shortages or other supply anomalies.

From 2005 to 2010, the number of drug shortages tripled from 61 to 178.

Dr. Freeman said he thought the lottery approach was a likely model to follow in the event of future drug shortages.

It also includes links to information on human drug shortages that may impact veterinary practice.

The following links provide information about human drug shortages:

Doctors, pharmacists and federal regulators are increasingly concerned about what they say is a growing number of drug shortages, particularly at hospitals.

In some cases, drug shortages can even force people to stop a course of treatment before it finishes.

We cannot control the factors that cause these drug shortages.