Price controls only cause shortages if the supply in inelastic and demand is elastic. If you make beer cheap then people will buy more until you can't keep up w

Price controls only cause shortages if the supply in inelastic and demand is elastic. If you make beer cheap then people will buy more until you can't keep up with demand. But pharmaceuticals (especially rx-only) don't work that way, because people only buy them if they really need them and need is relatively static. It also helps that most pharmaceuticals benefit well from economies of scale and are made from non-scarce feedstocks.