Governor Kristi Noem announced that the Department of Health (DOH) will be expanding its medical cache to help combat the shortage of prescription drugs in South Dakota. She also urged swift and decisive action from both Congress and the FDA to address worsening shortages across the country.
“When my son, Booker, was growing up, he relied on the prescription drug Albuterol on an almost daily basis. Without it, he would not have been able to breathe. Imagine my shock when I recently learned that a widespread and long-lasting shortage of this critical drug and others has been impacting America,” said Governor Noem. “So many parents and their precious children have had to deal with the uncertainty of not knowing if that life-saving resource will be available to them.”
DOH will be expanding its medical cache to five additional cities – Aberdeen, Hot Springs, Mobridge, Pierre, and Yankton. This is an emergency stockpile of medications in case of shortages. In addition to the antibiotics currently stockpiled, DOH is adding Albuterol, Epinephrine, Insulin, Prednisone, and Pediatric Amoxicillin to the medical cache.
“When our drugs are manufactured in just one or two countries, then any serious event can create a shortage. And those shortages hurt the young, the elderly, and the sick more than anyone else,” said Melissa Magstadt, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Health. “When we started hearing from pharmacies across the state, we immediately began notifying the Governor and working towards a solution. I am so appreciative to work for a Governor who takes notice of challenges like this and then leads towards a solution.”
Governor Noem is also sending letters to Congressional leadership, South Dakota’s congressional delegation, and the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These letters urge them to take swift, decisive action to provide long-term policy solutions that will address this challenge.
In May, Governor Noem signed Executive Order 2023-07, which required the Department of Health to investigate the cause of the prescription drug shortage and recommend action to be taken back to the governor.
