Pfizer warns of looming penicillin shortage in the U.S. What about Canada? – National | 24CA News
A scarcity of an efficient drug used to deal with syphilis in pregnant sufferers and bacterial infections in kids might run dry by the tip of June, Pfizer warned this week.
In a letter written to its prospects within the United States on June 12, the pharmaceutical large mentioned there’s a restricted provide and “impending” scarcity of its penicillin remedy known as Bicillin.
Pfizer is the one producer of Bicillin in Canada. The drug is the best antibiotic within the remedy of all syphilis in pregnant sufferers. It can also deal with frequent childhood infections, like strep, ear infections or pneumonia.
In an e mail to Global News, a spokesperson from Pfizer Canada mentioned the “situation is not currently impacting Canada, but we continue to monitor closely.”
Global News reached out to Health Canada for remark, however the company didn’t reply again on the time of publication.
What’s behind the looming scarcity
The provide scarcity is the results of a “complex combination of factors” together with vital will increase in demand as a consequence of an increase in syphilis an infection charges, Pfizer said in its letter Monday.
Supply of the pediatric model of the drug is anticipated to be exhausted by the tip of this quarter, the corporate mentioned. However, Pfizer informed Reuters in an e mail the pediatric model of the antibiotic will not be broadly used, as there are different alternate options akin to amoxicillin.
The provide for youths will dwindle as a result of Pfizer as an alternative plans to prioritize the remedy for adults, as Bicillin could be very efficient in treating syphilis, a sexually transmitted illness. The drugmaker mentioned whereas there’s a scarcity of grownup doses, it doesn’t anticipate them to expire.
The scarcity is predicted to start out recovering within the second and third quarters of 2024, Pfizer mentioned.
Cases of congenital syphilis, when the an infection passes to infants throughout being pregnant, have spiked over the previous few years in Canada, in response to Health Canada.
Babies with congenital syphilis are at larger threat of low start weight, bone malformations and sensory difficulties, in response to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Syphilis in being pregnant can also be the second-leading reason for stillbirth worldwide, WHO added.
In 2016, Canada skilled a short lived scarcity of Bicillin. Pfizer Canada mentioned on the time “production issues” at its manufacturing plant had been in charge.
During the scarcity, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), beneficial, “conserving available stock of Bicillin using alternative treatments wherever feasible or possible.”
— with information from Reuters
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