Many months into the U.S. shortage of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug Adderall and its generics, a rival medicine from Takeda is now in short supply.
In a statement on the Vyvanse patient website, Takeda said it's "currently experiencing low inventory" of the ADHD medicine because of a "manufacturing delay compounded by increased demand."
The situation has affected the company's ability to "provide adequate supply to pharmaceutical distribution wholesalers who, in turn, supply retail pharmacies" such as Walgreens, Ride Aid and CVS.
Takeda says the situation affects its 40-mg, 60-mg and 70-mg dosage strengths of Vyvanse. The 40-mg dose supply "will dip in mid-June and will be replenished in a few weeks," according to Takeda's statement.
Supply shortfalls for the two higher doses are expected to begin in "late June or early July and continue into September," Takeda said.
"We regret this inconvenience and potential disruption in your treatment," the company said in its statement.
The Vyvanse shortfall comes many months into the shortage of the popular ADHD drug Adderall and its generics. That shortage started last August when the U.S.' top supplier, Teva, started struggling to keep up with demand.
Over the span of the next few months, Teva noted that its shortage would drag on for quite some time, while other companies began facing their own shortages.
Now, at least eight companies are reporting shortages of forms of Adderall, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' shortage database. The FDA announced the nationwide Adderall shortage in October.
ADHD has increased in prevalence over the last several years, prompting questions about whether increased awareness could be driving diagnosis trends. Whatever the cause, drugmakers have at times cited increased demand as a factor driving shortages over the last year.