FDA confirms Adderall shortage in U.S.

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed a nationwide shortage of Adderall, saying there's not sufficient supply to continue to meet U.S. market demand for this stimulant medication with controlled substance.

Adderall, a brand name of formulation of Amphetamine mixed salts, is an FDA-approved medicine for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, but its supply is strictly monitored and distribution is limited.

The Verge reported Thursday that before the FDA's confirmation on Wednesday, people have been struggling to fill prescriptions since August and the makers of generic Adderall predicted the supply could recover within months.

Teva, which produces more of the stimulant medication than any other company in the country, said in August that it was having delays because of labor shortages. Other companies that make generic Adderall also have had the drug on backorder since the end of the summer.

An unnamed Teva spokesperson told ABC News Thursday that demand for the drug is at an all-time high, noting "the supply that we are manufacturing/distributing right now is on pace" by the end of this year "to be consistent -- or greater than -- our supply at this time last year."

Adderall prescriptions have been steadily increasing over the past decade, the Verge report said, adding that over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a significant uptick in prescriptions for people between 22 and 44, citing an analysis released by healthcare analytics company Trilliant Health in June.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it was estimated that nearly 10 percent of children in the country had ADHD as of 2019, and the numbers may have increased during the pandemic.

Doctors and law enforcement officials warned that people should never buy Adderall outside of a pharmacy since many fake pills, containing fentanyl, are made to look like prescription Adderall but could be potentially deadly.