Table 2.

Most frequent reasons for medicine shortages.

Category	Cause
Market	Increase in sales (McKeever et al., 2013; Ordre National des Pharmaciens, 2015) Price-related aspects (McKeever et al., 2013; Ordre National des Pharmaciens, 2015; Alevizakos et al., 2016; Yang et al., 2016) Voluntary withdrawal (Griffith et al., 2012; Steers, 2014; Chen et al., 2016; Yang et al., 2016; Rinaldi et al., 2017) Unexpected increases and unexpected changes in clinical practice (Griffith et al., 2012; Yang et al., 2016) Parallel or gray markets (Yang et al., 2016) Loss of market interest (Videau et al., 2019) Relocation of production facilities (Videau et al., 2019) Speculation in international markets (Videau et al., 2019) Mergers of manufacturers and joint purchasing group (Videau et al., 2019)
Supply chain management	Structure of the network or supply chain in the country (Schwartzberg et al., 2017) Supply of raw materials and excipients (Griffith et al., 2012; Ordre National des Pharmaciens, 2015; Chen et al., 2016; Gabrielli et al., 2016; Parsons et al., 2016; Bocquet et al., 2017; Rinaldi et al., 2017; Schwartzberg et al., 2017)
Manufacturing process	Quality concerns (Griffith et al., 2012; Gabrielli et al., 2016; Bocquet et al., 2017; De Weerdt et al., 2017; Rinaldi et al., 2017; Schwartzberg et al., 2017) Changes in the product formulation (Yang et al., 2016; Rinaldi et al., 2017) Industrial development capacities (Steers, 2014; Gabrielli et al., 2016; Yang et al., 2016; Fox and Tyler, 2017) Production problems (Videau et al., 2019)
Political and ethical issues	Regulatory problems (McKeever et al., 2013; Chen et al., 2016; Gabrielli et al., 2016; Parsons et al., 2016; Yang et al., 2016; Bocquet et al., 2017; Schwartzberg et al., 2017). Public policy (Cousins, 2014; Setayesh and Mackey, 2016; French Parliament). Social conflicts (Setayesh and Mackey, 2016; Bochenek et al., 2018). Enhancement of the legal and normative frameworks applicable to the manufacture of medicines (Videau et al., 2019)