Pfizer expects to run out of syphilis drug supply for children soon

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.

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.