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> The DEA put Adderall on its list of the most abused medication, and limits production of it and investigates doctors who prescribe too much of it.

The other thing on top of limiting its production, it's not just for the US, it's worldwide.

Australia has a shortage of various types of ADHD medication due to this DEA production limit too.

https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/shortages/information-about-ma...

Also, the Australian Government requested increased production to cover these shortages, and the DEA rejected that request.

So those limitations have a worldwide effect due to the US being one of only a few countries that produce these drugs.





Is there something stopping other countries from spinning up a factory?

They have. It was originally made by a British company but is now out of patent and is made by multiple companies in multiple countries.

- Supply chains

- Skilled workforce

- Risk capital

- Regulatory overhead


Other drugs are made outside the USA, what is so special about adderal (besides us regulations which other countries dont have to listen to)

Probably that it's basically a weaker form of meth. I mean they're chemically similar, they have the same effects, adderall is potentially addictive, nobody wants to end up dealing with something similar to America's meth epidemic. That's not to say you can't manufacture and prescribe this drug safely, but a lot more people are going to have a lot more reservations about it than if you want to crank out a generic Tylenol or something.

If that was true there would be a shortage of pain pills

I haven’t once heard of a person addicted to Adderal outside of a DARE class.

Opioids however…


I'm currently addicted to Adderall. I also have a prescription for it and I have ADHD, but I'm still absolutely addicted. Without it I would suffer, and I would seek it out through illegal means if I could not get it legally.

I used to be addicted to Adderall.

Nothing is special about it. Lots of drug manufacturing is low-risk low-reward but setup costs are high so nobody thinks it's worth the investment.

Maybe it's just that the cost to set up the production elsewhere is too much for the expected market. The shortage of the drugs doesn't mean there will be enough buyer to cover the cost (and make enough profit).

the article is about methylphenydat (ritalin) and not adderall. Amphetamie is such an easy molekul, stepping up production should be super easy.

Trump wouldn't like it.

He has literally targeted Australia for our pharmaceuticals.



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