Pfizer To Run Out Of Penicillin Solutions In Next Few Months

By Paige Twenter of Becker Hospital News

Amid a shortage of amoxicillin and penicillin — the two main antibiotics for strep infections, which rose in early 2023 — Pfizer said it has "limited supply and [an] impending stock out situation" for some of its penicillin prefilled syringe products. 

The product, penicillin G benzathine, is used to treat syphilis and went into shortage in April. Pfizer originally expected resupply in September. 

Now, the drugmaker said it expects all of its Bicillin L-A (penicillin G benzathine injectable suspension) pediatric (600,000 units/mL) prefilled syringes will be unavailable in mid-2023, and all Bicillin C-R (penicillin G benzathine and penicillin G procaine injectable suspension) solutions will "deplete" in the third quarter of 2023.

"These presentations will not be available until further notice," according to a Pfizer document filed by the FDA.

Pfizer said it is prioritizing Bicillin L-A 1.2 million units/2 mL and 2.4 million units/4 mL (600,000 units/mL) prefilled syringes as the other solutions face high demand, an increase in syphilis cases and "competitive shortages," which might be referring to the monthslong amoxicillin shortage.