The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reported a shortage of the injectable version of penicillin, citing increased demand for the antibiotic.
In a notice on April 26, the agency said there are shortages of Pfizer’s Bicillin L-A in both regular and pediatric versions. It said the shortage may persist until around the last quarter of the year.
Bicillin L-A is Pfizer’s brand name for penicillin G benzathine, which is administered by injection intramuscularly. Pfizer is the sole supplier of penicillin G benzathine in the United States.
Penicillin G benzathine is the standard treatment for syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum….