US hospitals grapple with prolonged injected opioid shortage - Statesboro Herald

By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.

US hospitals grapple with prolonged injected opioid shortage

Less effective pills, alternatives with more side effects used instead

In this June 1 photo, small vials of fentanyl are shown in the inpatient pharmacy at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City. Amid the nation's opioid epidemic, hospitals are struggling to get widely used injected pain medicines because of ongoing supply shortages. The shortages affect just about every corner of the hospital, from the operating room and emergency department. - photo by Associated Press

opioid — In this June 1 photo, small vials of fentanyl are shown in the inpatient pharmacy at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City. Amid the nation's opioid epidemic, hospitals are struggling to get widely used injected pain medicines because of ongoing supply shortages. The shortages affect just about every corner of the hospital, from the operating room and emergency department. - photo by Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J. — There is another opioid crisis happening in the U.S., and it has nothing to do with the overdose epidemic: Hospitals are frequently running out of widely used injected painkillers.

Sign up for the Herald's free e-newsletter