Estrogen patches face national shortage following removal of black box warnings
Many women across the country are struggling to get their hands on estrogen patches after the FDA removed black box warning labels on many hormone therapy drugs.
The removal was initially celebrated, making therapy more accessible for women experiencing menopause and perimenopause symptoms. However, the demand has now sparked national shortages.
What are estrogen patches?
Gynecologist Dr. Maria Sophocles says estrogen patches contain estradiol, which is used for hormone replacement therapy to control menopause symptoms and aid in healthy aging.
Without the use of patches, menopause "slows down the loss of the strength of bone that all women have," Dr. Sophocles explained.
This often leads to irregular periods, hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and sleep disturbances.
"It impacts the ability of women who want to take control of their health to get started," Dr. Sophocles added. "Immediately from the day you start, by helping you with some of your symptoms, feeling better, sleeping better, having more energy, indirectly helping with weight gain."
Women and healthcare professionals applauded the updated guidance.
"Now, more women feel safe using estrogen," Dr. Sophocles said. "So, they're preemptively going to their physicians saying, 'I want this patch.'"
Supply and demand
Dr. Sophocles believes an increased demand, supply chain issues, and manufacturing limitations are what's driving the shortage.
"Manufacturers have been unable to provide sufficient supply of hormone replacement therapies (HRT) over the last several weeks," CVS Health admitted to WJZ in a statement. "When these manufacturer supply interruptions occur, our pharmacy teams make every effort to ensure patients have access to the medications they need and, if possible, will work with patients and prescribers to identify potential alternatives."
However, Dr. Sophocles said the patch isn't the only way to receive estradiol.
"It's also available in a gel," she said. "It's also available as a mist. It looks almost like an asthma inhaler. It's even available as a vaginal ring."
Dr. Sophocles suggested splitting patches in half while waiting to receive new ones.