CNBC: Estrogen patches are hard to find, and it may not be resolved any time soon

Tier 3: Supporting source (media, company, or community), never used alone for health claims
Publisher: CNBC · Published: August 10, 2026 · Accessed: August 10, 2026

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Claims this source supports

• Estrogen patch prescriptions increased 162% over two years and reached about 1.6 million a month by May 2026, up from 594,000 in June 2024 (HealthVerity data); patches now account for 44% of all estrogen prescriptions.
• The FDA removed the more-than-20-year-old black box warning on hormone replacement therapy last fall, turbocharging already-rising demand.
• Sandoz said recent prescribing changes created 'unprecedented demand that cannot be fully met at present'; the company is working to increase manufacturing, but patches are 'highly complex' to manufacture.
• ASHP's Michael Ganio: the FDA relies on manufacturer-reported supply against historical demand, which lags a demand spike; he predicts it will take a year or two for supply and demand to find a sweet spot.
• The shortage is spreading to other HRT products - ASHP has listed several estradiol creams and progesterone pills as in shortage.
• Generic manufacturers typically plan production lines months in advance and may run an estradiol patch batch only once a year.
• Dr. Susan Loeb-Zeitlin (Weill Cornell) suggests estrogen gels as an alternative; some prescribers turn to compounding pharmacies, but insurers rarely cover compounded medicines.