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WASHINGTON — A White House task force created to work on drug shortage reforms has yet to contact the lawmakers who are writing legislation to stem shortages — and it’s not clear when the task force will recommend policies.

The White House formed a task force at the beginning of 2023 to deal with the issue of persistent drug shortages. Fifty-seven percent of hospital pharmacists said they are facing critical shortages of chemotherapy drugs in a new survey from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Hospital pharmacists also reported significant shortages of steroids, hormonal drugs, and oral liquids such as amoxicillin and lidocaine.

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Yet industry and patient representatives who have met with task force members said there has been no indication of when they will make recommendations that could spur federal agencies to act and steer the debate in Congress.

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