Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday report A shortage of injectable forms of penicillin, an antibiotic used to treat other bacterial infections such as syphilis and streptococcal pharyngitis.
Liquid amoxicillin, another antibiotic used to treat streptococci, has been in short supply since October, according to the FDA.
The affected form of penicillin called penicillin G benzathine is the drug of choice for syphilis because it can be used in adults, children and pregnant women. They are often administered in outpatient clinics and emergency settings. According to the FDA, there are insufficient dosages for both children and adults.
“The great thing about penicillin G benzathine is that it can be given to pregnant mothers, and if they have syphilis, they can treat the baby,” said the chief physician at Sanford Health, Minnesota’s health system. Jeremy Cowells, Ph.D. And North Dakota and South Dakota. Pharmacists in his network have been dealing with limited supplies of penicillin since winter.
U.S. Syphilis Cases 70-year high in 2021, is the last year for which data are available, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted infections can cause organ damage and death if left untreated.
The FDA believes the penicillin shortage is due to increased demand. Pfizer, the only supplier of that form of penicillin in the United States, pointed to amoxicillin shortages as the main problem as doctors began to recommend penicillin instead. Demand has most likely accelerated further, he said.
Shortages of amoxicillin occurred during the autumn-winter surge in respiratory viral infections. This antibiotic was prescribed for bacterial infections secondary to Covid, influenza, or respiratory syncytial virus.
Amoxicillin is also being used to treat an increase in severe streptococcal cases dating back to the fall. Recommended Penicillin G benzathine as an alternative to amoxicillin for patients with streptococcal throat.
The number of cases of streptococcal pharyngitis remains increasing. The CDC last week hit a five-year high in the number of emergency room visits he had for routine streptococcal infections in February and March, according to unpublished data from its National Surveillance Program.
Pfizer said it is supplying the market with more injectable penicillin than ever before, but it is still not keeping up with demand. on that website Supply issues are expected to be resolved in October-December.
The American Health System Pharmacists Association reports that another form of penicillin, penicillin G procaine, is also in short supply. But “benzathine is probably a bit more of a difficult shortage because it’s the drug of choice,” said Michael Ganio, senior director of pharmacy operations and quality at the association.
Overall, the Covid pandemic appears to have exacerbated the problem of drug supply, said Cauwels.
Shortages of new medicines increased by nearly 30% from 2021 to 2022. March report From the Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. He said the reasons included a surge in demand for certain medicines, an over-reliance on foreign suppliers and the offshoring of manufacturers.
The United States has been short of Adderall, a drug for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, for seven months. According to the FDA, there are also shortages of four anti-cancer drugs, including two common chemotherapies.
A Senate committee report found that injectable drugs are more than twice as likely to be in short supply compared to other forms, such as oral and topical drugs.
Cauwels said he doesn’t expect penicillin supplies to increase until the fall, but that there is likely to be ample supply by then. The company’s supply of amoxicillin is also limited, he added, but it’s getting a steady quota based on what’s been used in the last few years.
He added that while there are alternatives to Pfizer’s penicillin drug for treating syphilis, other antibiotics have more side effects.
Injectable penicillin has become the go-to, he said.
