The objective of this project is to analyze the consequences of drug shortages on physician treatment behavior with regards to cost and quality of prescribing in Switzerland. We employ the potential outcomes framework and empirically compare prescribing behavior in drugs facing a drug shortage to prescribing in absence of a shortage. Our goal is to describe the scope of drug shortages and to identify causal effects of drug shortages on cost and quality of prescribing on physician practice and drug level using event study and difference-in-difference analysis.