Cancer drug shortages are almost uniquely associated with generic drugs (small profit margins) and rarely with patented drugs (large profit margins). They are common in the U.S., but uncommon in Europe and elsewhere, where generic drug prices are on average higher than in the U.S. "This suggests the main cause of drug shortages is economic," write Baker Institute health policy scholar Hagop Kantarjian and Vivian Ho, the James A. Baker III Institute Chair in Health Economics.
