Pfizer is warning about a shortage of two penicillin drug products used to treat syphilis, strep in kids and other bacterial infections.
Last week, the New York-based pharma giant sent a letter to customers about its “limited supply and impending stock out” of Bicillin L-A and Bicillin C-R prefilled syringes.
The announcement comes amid a series of drug shortages in the United States from ongoing demand spikes, manufacturing problems and tight ingredient supply. Shortages have hit medications from Adderall to even critical cancer drugs.
The penicillin shortage also comes as cases of syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections have risen nationwide. Meanwhile, an unusual June surge in strep cases among children is also taxing supplies after emergency department visits for strep throat infections this winter reached a five-year high.
Worse, Pfizer is the sole supplier of Bicillin.
“The supply interruption is the result of a complex combination of factors including significant increases in demand, due to an increase in syphilis infection rates as well as competitive shortages,” the company said in the letter.
With the surge of syphilis cases and an already scarce Bicillin supply, Pfizer opted to prioritize the adult formation of the drug because it is critical for the survival of fetuses in pregnant women with syphilis, a Pfizer spokesperson told NJ Advance Media.
The pediatric formula is rarely used on children because it is painful to administer, and the preferred treatment, amoxicillin — which had been in short supply for months — is now more readily available, the spokesperson noted.
Bicillin L-A prefilled syringes for children will begin to run low at the end of the month, reports said, while Bicillin C-R is expected to deplete in the third quarter of this year.
Supplies are expected to rebound next year.
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Spencer Kent may be reached at [email protected].