Pfizer expects to run out of some antibiotic supply for children soon

[June 14, 2023]  (Reuters) - Pfizer has warned that a drug used to treat syphilis and other bacterial infections in children could run out by the end of June because it has had to prioritize versions made for adults due to a spike in syphilis infections in that population.

Supply of the pediatric version of the drug, Bicillin L-A, is expected to be exhausted by the end of this quarter, the company said in a letter to the U.S. health regulator dated Monday. Pfizer said in an email on Tuesday that the pediatric formulations of the antibiotic are not widely used.

Still, supply of that version of the antibiotic is likely to run out soon, exacerbated by other product shortages, Pfizer said. Pfizer's penicillin products have been in shortage since April.

The drugmaker said it is prioritizing the adult dosages of Bicillin L-A, which are also in shortage, but said it does not expect them to run out.

Another similar penicillin product, Bicillin C-R, which is used to treat infections related to the upper-respiratory tract, is expected to run out of supply in the third quarter, Pfizer said.

Pfizer's warning comes amid a shortage of the widely used antibiotic amoxicillin since October.

The Pfizer logo is pictured on their headquarters building in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 9, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

Cases of congenital syphilis, when the infection passes to babies during pregnancy, have more than tripled in recent years, with more than 2,000 cases reported in 2021, according to latest government data.

(Reporting by Raghav Mahobe in Bengaluru and Michael Erman in New Jersey; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Leslie Adler)

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