CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — At Schieber Family Pharmacy in Circleville, the supply of common pediatric antibiotic was critical until about 10 days ago, according to the pharmacy’s co-owner, Larry Schieber.
As a father and grandfather, Schieber knows the stress a shortage can cause a parent to feel.
“It’s frightening to think about it, to have a child that's suffering and not be able to get an antibiotic,” he said.
As a pharmacist owning this shop for more than 30 years, he also knows shortages are nothing new. However, he says they've never been this significant when it comes to pediatric antibiotics, like amoxicillin.
Amoxicillin is in short supply and the FDA expects it could be the case for months. Why? It's in high demand.
With the surge in RSV and flu cases this fall, there were a lot of secondary infections that required this antibiotic for treatment. According to the Ohio Pharmacists Association, a few key chemicals used in pediatric formulations sourced from abroad are not able to be shipped in time to meet demand.
“The number of times that we've seen shortages that affect critical medications, it continues to be a problem,” said Michael Storey, PharmD, MS at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Pharmacists agree that this one shortage points to a bigger problem: the supply chain.
“This has really underscored the vulnerability and I'm hoping the FDA will take a look at this,” Schieber said.
So what can you do if you can't find what you need? For amoxicillin – ask your doctor or pharmacist for an alternative antibiotic. Or -- ask if there are different doses, concentrations, capsules, or tablets that could work.
“Whatever it takes to get the patient taken care of,” said Schieber.
The FDA has a database of medications that are in the midst of a shortage. You can see that full list, here.