Winston Hall, 9, needs growth hormone to manage symptoms of Prader-Willi syndrome, a genetic condition. A shortage of the medicine has contributed to behavioral issues that led him to be sent home from school. Bridget Bennett for NPR hide caption
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The former Akorn pharmaceutical plant in Decatur, Ill., that made a wide range of generic drugs used in hospitals is being reopened under new ownership. Emilija Manevska/Getty Images hide caption
How rock-bottom prices drive shortages of generic drugs used in hospitals
A tornado damaged a Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in Rocky Mount, N.C., in July. The facility makes almost 25% of Pfizer's sterile injectable medicines used in the U.S. Sean Rayford/Getty Images hide caption
Angels for Change founder Laura Bray took on the problem of drug shortages when the hospital ran out of the drug that her then-9-year-old daughter needed to treat her leukemia. Laura Bray hide caption
The hospital ran out of her child's cancer drug. Now she's fighting to end shortages
An aerial view shows damage to a Pfizer pharmaceutical factory in Rocky Mount, N.C., from a tornado that struck on July 19. The plant produces many drugs used in hospitals. Sean Rayford/Getty Images hide caption
Toni Dezomits' advanced ovarian cancer responded well to earlier rounds of chemo, but this spring, her doctors told her there was a shortage of a key chemo drug. Toni Dezomits hide caption
Some cancer drugs are in short supply, putting patients' care at risk. Here's why
Norditropin, a growth hormone from Novo Nordisk, remains in short supply, frustrating parents. Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
Families scramble to find growth hormone drug as shortage drags on
Some Amoxicillin products are hard to find on pharmacy shelves as a nationwide shortage continues. Luis Alvarez/Getty Images hide caption
Children's flu medication was hard to come by in December 2022 as a wave of respiratory viruses spread across the country. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption
Pharmacy technician Peggy Gillespie fills a syringe with an antibiotic at ProMedica Toledo Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, in January. Tony Dejak/AP hide caption
Intermountain Healthcare, whose Intermountain Medical Center Patient Tower in Murray, Utah, is seen here, is a leader in the generic drug company being launched by hospitals. Courtesy of Intermountain Healthcare hide caption
A white board showed the drugs in short supply at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City in 2011. Jim Urquhart/AP hide caption
Streptococcus pyogenes shouldn't be taken lightly. Left untreated, an infection with germ can trigger an autoimmune disease that damages the heart. NIAID/Flickr.com hide caption
Many hospitals are perilously close to running out of a form of methotrexate that's necessary to inject in high doses to treat certain forms of cancer. iStockphoto.com hide caption
The scarcity of ADHD medications is a problem faced by an untold number of children and adults with the disorder. GoodMood Enterprises/iStockphoto hide caption
A pharmacy buyer at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City holds a tray of magnesium sulfate, a drug in short supply.
Jim Urquhart/AP hide caption