Obamacare, It’s for the Children. ADHD Drugs on FDA’s Shortage List

The shortage of two drugs commonly used to treat ADHD, Adderall XR and Ritalin, as well as generic equivalents, have been reported in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington state, and elsewhere, forcing some families to pay for more expensive alternatives or cut back to stretch supplies.

This means a drug shortage for drugs “that generated a combined 24.2 million prescriptions in 2010.”

Amphetamine mixed salts (Aderall XR) and methylphenidate HCl (Ritalin) appear on the FDA’s drug shortages list.

As of May 10, three amphetamine mixed salts suppliers — Shire, Teva, and Global — reported supply issues. The FDA report for Global states “All product strengths other than 25 mg are currently available on an allocated basis.”

The FDA report does not say how the drug will be allocated — just a fancy way of saying rationed — or who will be doing the allocating.

As for methylphenidate HCl, the FDA reports manufacturer Sandoz expects back orders for several months; Mallinckrodt expects full recovery due to lack of ingredients by July 2011; and UCB projects increased demand, most likely due to the problems of its competitors. Only Watson reports continued product availability.

The shortage is attributed to action taken last year by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration: “Due to the tendency for abuse, the ingredients as well as the drugs have been classified as controlled substances.”

The DEA website reports: “The increased use of this substance for the treatment of ADHD has paralleled an increase in its abuse among adolescents and young adults who crush these tablets and snort the powder to get high. Youngsters have little difficulty obtaining methylphenidate (Ritalin) from classmates or friends who have been prescribed it. Greater efforts to safeguard this medication at home and school are needed.”

We can add these two drugs to the growing list of drugs in short supply — and destined for rationing — I reported on last month.

While the DEA Office of Diversion Control admits to purposely restricting “ingredients in certain pills as a way to combat prescription drug abuse,” manufacturers said this action “cuts into supply, especially when demand for a drug — like Ritalin — is high.”

“There’s less product to go around for a higher demand,” one pharmacist said. “We often have it on order, but if it’s not here, we can’t dispense it.”

That’s called rationing.

The beginning of the shortage was made public nearly a month ago. You have to suspect the ObamaKinder Ritalin addicts are having difficulty focusing on their social networking campaign tasks. Wonder who they’re going to blame?