Noem wants bigger stockpile of antibiotics ahead of more drug shortages

South Dakota governor increasing number of cache locations where emergency pharmaceuticals are kept around the state

Shortages of typically common, long-used medical drugs like Amoxicillin and Albuterol had pharmacists in South Dakota telling patients they couldn’t fill otherwise routine prescriptions.

That’s why Gov. Kristi Noem during a news conference at Lewis Drug in Sioux Falls that the Department of Health will be expanding its medical cache to combat prescription drug shortages in the Mount Rushmore State.

Right now, DOH keeps backup inventories of essential life-saving drugs at two medical cache locations - one at Lewis Drug’s distribution facility in Sioux Falls and another with Monument Health in Rapid City. However, following an order from the governor in May that DOH investigate and recommend action around prescription drug shortages, the state has selected pharmacies and healthcare providers in five other locations to establish additional inventory.

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