Drug shortages in the U.S. are limited primarily to generic injectables and a few key disease areas, according to an IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics study released Monday.

"Patients throughout the U.S., including hundreds of thousands being treated for cancer, may be at risk of treatment disruption due to drug shortages," said Murray Aitken, executive director, IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. "Understanding the nature of these medicines, their suppliers and the supply volume dynamics – and focusing sharply on the market and supply chains that are most impacted – are essential to formulating meaningful solutions to this complex, and often misunderstood, issue."

The study, Drug Shortages: A Closer Look at Products, Suppliers and Volume Volatility, examines drug shortages and recommends that health care stakeholders work toward the creation of an early warning system to minimize future patient care disruptions.