FTC probes drug shortages at hospitals

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an investigation into recent shortages of carboplatin and cisplatin—essential drugs for chemotherapy and antibiotics—that are affecting US hospitals, per The Wall Street Journal.

The shortages of these medicines forced doctors to ration supplies last year.

The FTC probe targets companies that buy and distribute most drugs to American hospitals.

Critics have raised concerns that these drug purchasing groups may secure prices too low for drugmakers to profit, leading to production cutbacks or exits from the market, which subsequently lead to shortages.

FTC Chair Lina Khan stated that the inquiry aims to understand why these shortages persist and scrutinize the practices of these opaque drug middlemen.