Seven of 10 US physicians say that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened drug supply chain problems, limiting their ability to provide quality patient care, according to a new US Pharmacopeia (USP) survey."Physicians on the front lines observed the impact first-hand, navigating shortages in medicines, personal protective equipment and other supplies, on top of the demands of providing care to an unprecedented volume of patients," USP, an independent global scientific organization, said in the survey report.On behalf of USP, Ipsos conducted the online survey of 500 board-certified physicians who work for or are affiliated with a US hospital system from Sep 14 to 30, 2021.73% have less trust in drug qualityNearly all doctors (95%) said that the COVID-19 pandemic revealed drug supply chain vulnerabilities, 90% said that the global supply chain may not be reliable in a crisis, and 73% said their trust in its ability to supply safe, quality medications has been eroded.While 71% of respondents said that they have become more concerned about drug quality in recent years, and 73% indicated that medication-related safety issues have risen, 72% said they continue to trust that each supply chain component has safety protocols to protect patient safety.Eighty-three percent of physicians said drug shortages have become a bigger issue in recent years, 78% said they knew of shortages of drugs patients needed amid the pandemic, and 80% indicated that their hospitals faced the risk of shortages at times.Among doctors working in vulnerable communities, 37% said that drug shortages resulted in poor patient outcomes "often" or "sometimes," compared with 29% of those working in more well-resourced areas.