ASA submitted a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the shortage of the drug Thiopental.
In the letter, ASA explains the cause of the shortage:
"Within the last two years, however, the United States experienced significant shortages of propofol as a result of simultaneous manufacturing problems and one of the three propofol manufacturers exiting the market. This led to a sharp increase in the demand for other induction agents, including thiopental. During this time, however, the U.S. saw its thiopental supplies reduced, and domestic production discontinued. These coinciding events have led to a dangerous reduction in the availability of anesthesia induction medications to the point that the safety of American patients is now in jeopardy."
ASA has a webpage dedicated to Drug Shortages that can be viewed here.
Click here to view the letter to the FDA.