Just as Americans are about to enter the season when they use the bacteria-fighting medication the most, the liquid version of the antibiotic amoxicillin, which is frequently used to treat ear infections and strep throat in children, is running low.
Although pharmacies, hospitals, and a supply tracking database raised concerns earlier this month, the FDA only publicly announced the shortfall on Friday.
Hugh Chancy, PharmD, owner of a Georgia independent pharmacy, told NBC News that the frightening aspect is that we’re approaching the time of year when you have the highest need.
According to reports thus far, the shortages are not having a significant impact overall, but they do affect specific pharmacies. At least one hospital has established an algorithm for providing therapeutic options.
A Walmart spokeswoman said that none of the retailer’s pharmacies were impacted despite CVS reporting to Bloomberg News that certain of its shops are experiencing amoxicillin shortages of specific dosages.
According to Bloomberg, if amoxicillin doesn’t become available for a while, we may have to resort to using antibiotics that are less effective and have greater adverse effects.
According to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, the shortfall affects three of the top four amoxicillin producers worldwide. Except in the case of manufacturer Sandoz, where the reason was cited as “information awaiting,” the FDA listed the shortage’s cause as “demand increase for medicine.”
According to a corporate spokeswoman, the causes are complicated.
“We face a uniquely challenging situation in the short term,” said Leslie Pott, a spokesperson for Sandoz, to Bloomberg. “The combination in rapid succession of the pandemic impact and consequent demand swings, manufacturing capacity constraints, scarcity of raw materials, and the current energy crisis means we face a uniquely difficult situation.”
Bloomberg reports that other significant manufacturers are still shipping the device but are limiting new orders.
Using its real-time medicine shortage database, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists issued a warning about the shortfall last week.
Amoxicillin comes in a variety of forms, such as capsules, powders, and chewable tablets, but the liquid version, which makes up at least 19 medications that are part of the shortage, is the most popular type that children take, according to Becker’s Hospital Review’s database summary.
Children’s Minnesota, a paediatric healthcare provider, informed CIDRAP that because of low stock, substitutes are being prescribed “where appropriate.”
“As a last resort, we temporarily stopped administering the full bottle of amoxicillin (which is available in several volumes),” a spokeswoman told CIDRAP. “Instead, to reduce waste, we mix and pour just the right amount for each course of therapy.”
The rise in RSV, a respiratory virus that primarily affects children, has put the Minnesota paediatric clinic and other organisations on high alert.
“We have definitely seen an increase in recent use,” said Laura Bio, PharmD, a clinical pharmacy specialist at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, “with concern for superimposed bacterial infection in our critically ill and hospitalised patient population. This increase is most likely correlating with the surge in RSV and other respiratory viruses.”
