SCHENECTADY — While nationwide shortages of amoxicillin have made headlines, local medical professionals explained that while there is an issue, it may not be dire with alternate options available.
Amoxicillin is an antibiotic used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, such as respiratory infections like pneumonia, or for inner ear infections, a common source of children’s earaches.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a national shortage of the amoxicillin oral antibiotic powder for suspension products, a liquid form of amoxicillin antibiotic.
Dr. Anthony DiSpirito, Director of Pharmacy and Patient Care service at Albany Medical Center, explained amoxicillin is not the only antibiotic which could be used.
“There are alternatives,” DiSpirito said. “What you sometimes see in the drug supply chain is when one product drops out they start using the alternatives. Then drug manufacturers might have a hard time keeping up with those alternatives, because now, it’s 100% of the market is shifting in that direction, but I think there are viable alternatives out there.”
Multiple manufacturers that make the liquid amoxicillin product in a variety of concentrations are all affected by the shortage, DiSpirito said. A lot of physicians are aware of the shortage at this time, because it has gotten national attention.
“I don’t think it’s a huge issue, until we maybe, potentially, down the line, start to see the effect of other alternative products having a hard time keeping up,” DiSpirito said.
The colder months of the year can bring about higher amounts of bacterial infections, DiSpirito said, and amoxicillin tablets are still widely available.
The American Academy of Pediatrics announced last week that the national shortage of amoxicillin suspension is anticipated to last several months. The academy suggests amoxicillin tablets, capsules or chew tabs could be prescribed as these forms of amoxicillin have not been impacted by the shortage.
“We don’t really know what the issue is, but we do know it’s only affecting the liquid,” DiSpirito said.
Drug manufacturers nor the FDA have not provided any reason for the shortage, he explained.
“The Department is aware of the FDA report regarding a shortage of amoxicillin and encourages New Yorkers to discuss their options for alternative treatment with their health care provider,” NYS DOH Deputy Director of Communications Jeffrey Hammond said in a statement.
“We don’t really know what the issue is, but we do know The Department will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with providers across the state to ensure continued access to quality medications that treat bacterial infection.”
Dan Lange, co-owner of Lange’s Pharmacy in Schenectady, explained that his pharmacy ordered amoxicillin capsules, so that the pharmacy can make the liquid amoxicillin if needed.
“That’s something the chains won’t do,” Lange said. “When you order the liquid for the kids, it comes in a powder. So we were prepared for that, but as of right now we don’t really see that. We order from a bunch of different wholesalers, I might order from four or five different places whereas the chains tend to just stick to their wholesalers.”
Lange’s Pharmacy has not seemed to have run into any issues with a shortage of the amoxicillin, Lange said.
Doctors are dealing with the shortage every day, Dr. Melissa Deimling of Community Care Pediatrics said.
“I don’t know how things are looking for the pill form, but certainly for the liquid form it’s a big problem,” Deimling said.
Amoxicillin is prescribed very commonly, she said. It is the best choice for treating strep throat, pneumonia and sinus infections.
“There are alternatives, but the alternatives have their own set of challenges. Using a broader spectrum antibiotic can breed resistance to the original antibiotic. So, if we don’t need to use stronger antibiotic, meant to be used for harder to treat infections, we don’t want to.”
Broader spectrum antibiotics have a higher rate of side effects, such as gastrointestinal effects, diarrhea and cramping, she said.
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