Amoxicillin Scarcity Triggers Shortage of Combination Products
There are reports of a growing scarcity of Amoxicillin which has led to a shortage of amoxicillin combination products like amoxicillin and clavulanate.
According to drugs.com, amoxicillin and clavulanate is a penicillin antibiotic that fights bacteria in the body. Clavulanate potassium is a beta-lactamase inhibitor that helps prevent certain bacteria from becoming resistant to amoxicillin.
Amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium is used to treat many different infections caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia, ear infections, bronchitis, urinary tract infections, and infections of the skin.
Among three drugmakers, 29 amoxicillin and clavulanate oral presentations are on allocation or back order, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
London-based Hikma Pharmaceuticals has 10 products on allocation, Switzerland-based Sandoz has 16 on backorder without an estimated resupply date and Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals has three on back order with resupply dates between late November and early January.
Amoxicillin has been in shortage for weeks, and the FDA confirmed the issue in late October. As of Nov. 18, resupply dates have been pushed to be between early December 2022 and August 2023, depending on the company and the product.