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"There’s an Anxiety Drug Shortage—Here’s What You Need to Know" - Carolyn Todd

  • MSN News
  • New York, NY
  • (February 11, 2019)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported a shortage of the anti-anxiety drug buspirone. Although it’s not a commonly used drug, “It occupies a special place in psychopharmacology because of its unique nature,” said James Murrough, MD, PhD, director of the Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “It’s a very important piece of what we can offer patients who have anxiety.” While the reason behind the shortage remains unclear, substitutions for buspirone are not easy to find. Dr. Murrough says the drug uniquely targets one specific serotonin receptor.

— James Murrough, MD, Assistant Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Director, Depression and Anxiety Center for Discovery and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

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Additional coverage:Self