A spike in adult syphilis cases has led to an announcement from Pfizer that medication to treat this disease – and other infections – in children could run out by the end of this month, and that the company’s penicillin shortage, since April, was continuing.
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.
Although not widely used, supply of the paediatric version of the drug, Bicillin L-A, is expected to be exhausted by the end of this quarter, exacerbated by other product shortages, reports Reuters.
Pfizer said it was prioritising the adult dosages of Bicillin L-A, which are also running low.
Another similar penicillin product, Bicillin C-R, which treats upper-respiratory tract infections, is anticipated to run out of supply in the third quarter.
Pfizer’s warning comes amid a shortage of the commonly used antibiotic amoxicillin since October.
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