Categories: News

2020’s latest (but least surprising) shortage: antacids

The combination of pandemic woes, election burnout, stress drinking, and perhaps a few ill-conceived comfort meals have all conspired to give America a giant case of agita. These arduous physical conditions have led to 2020’s latest shortage: antacids. According to The New York Times, over-the-counter medications such as Pepcid, Tums, and their generic counterparts have been selling out around the country and online, resulting in Wegmans putting a two-product limit on items containing the antacids’ active ingredient, famotidine. But it’s not just acid reflux sufferers doing the buying. Earlier this year, preliminary studies suggested that famotidine could decrease coronavirus symptoms—President Trump reportedly used it as part of his recovery regimen—which led to a national buying spree. And while researchers continue to siphon off some of the manufacturers’ stock, the scarcity is expected to last into the near future. For the rest of us, it might be time to lay off the charcuterie boards and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

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