Gov. Kristi Noem has signed an executive order directing the Department of Health to investigate medication shortages in the state.
Noem signed the order Friday, calling the issue a "public health crisis."
It’s in response to a recent Senate report that found the country is facing of shortage on nearly 300 medications. The shortages increased by nearly 30 percent from 2021 to 2022.
Noem blamed the shortage on a lack of leadership from President Joe Biden.
“The Biden Administration’s failure to address this shortage is causing patient care to suffer, creating delays in treatment, and increasing the risk of medication errors and the use of less effective alternative treatments," Noem said in a press release. "Once again, South Dakota will step up and be the leader that Biden refuses to be.”
However, the report itself blamed the shortage on a variety of problems, including supply chain disruptions, market consolidation and a hesitancy among drug manufacturers to produce less profitable medications like amoxicillin.
This order directs the state Department of Health to look into the shortages, identify ways to address them and provide the governor a report by June 12.