Category: Supply chain

According to data from IQVIA, the number of prescriptions for popular GLP-1 medications, like Zepbound and Wegovy, quadrupled over two years, creating unprecedented demand. This surge, combined with numerous supply chain and market factors, explains why many patients still find it so hard to get Zepbound at their local pharmacy.

As of mid-2025, the U.S. is grappling with over 250 active drug shortages, a crisis impacting hundreds of thousands of patients [1.6.1, 1.6.3]. This raises a critical question for patients nationwide: why are pharmacies struggling to get medication?

In July 2025, the FDA upgraded a recall of over 160,000 bottles of Accord Healthcare's levothyroxine sodium tablets due to subpotency issues, representing a significant cause for why levothyroxine is backordered and drawing attention to underlying vulnerabilities in the pharmaceutical supply chain. This event was one of several recent disruptions impacting the availability of this essential thyroid medication.

Over 70% of the manufacturing facilities for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) supplying the U.S. are located overseas, primarily in India and China [1.2.1, 1.3.1]. This fact highlights the central question: **where does America get most of its pharmaceuticals**? The answer is a complex global network.