FDA announced a nationwide shortage of Adderall, an ADHD medication, as manufacturers struggle to meet growing demand, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Ohio.

• District of Columbia: HHS on Thursday renewed the Covid-19 public health emergency (PHE) declaration for another 90 days through Jan. 11, 2023. According to the American Hospital Association, the organization had previously urged HHS to renew the PHE to "continue critical flexibilities hospitals depend on to deliver needed care, and minimize additional disruptions to an 'increasingly fragile' health care delivery system." So far, the PHE has been renewed every 90 days since it was first declared in January 2020. In a call to reporters, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said he would give states, health care providers, and other stakeholders 60 days' notice before ending the PHE. (AHA News, 10/13; Kimball, CNBC, 10/13)

• Maryland: FDA on Thursday announced a nationwide shortage of Adderall, a medication used to treat ADHD. According to FDA, Teva Pharmaceuticals, which produces the drug, has experienced ongoing manufacturing delays, and other manufacturers who produce generic or alternative versions of the drug have also reported difficulties meeting demand. In recent years, demand for Adderall and other generic-equivalent medications has increased significantly. Data from IQVIA shows that total prescriptions for these drugs have grown from 35.5 million in 2019 to 41.2 million in 2021, a roughly 16% increase. "I can understand why there are shortages, because there's an increased demand of people who are seeking these medications," said David Goodman, director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Currently, FDA recommends patients who are taking Adderall talk to their providers about potential alternative treatments until supply can be restored. (Habeshian, Axios, 10/13; Jewett, New York Times, 10/13)

• Ohio: University Hospitals (UH) announced that it is cutting 443 administrative jobs, with 326 being open positions. According to UH, these changes, along with other non-labor reductions, will decrease expenses by over $100 million a year. None of the positions being cut involved direct patient care, and the 117 employees who are being let go will receive severance packages. "While by many measures UH is financially strong, it is imperative that we take actions now to reverse this downward trend and preserve our ability to make future investments in our mission," a spokesperson for the health system said in a statement. "This involves reimagining how we deliver care at a lower cost while also working to ensure UH delivers high-quality care with compassion and remains a great place to work. In the near term, we have a responsibility to reduce expenses by curtailing certain administrative costs and services in order to safeguard our investments in direct patient care." (Hudson, Modern Healthcare, 10/13)