Antibiotic shortage raises concern among Ga. doctors

ATLANTA (Atlanta News First) - The common antibiotic amoxicillin is in short supply, and the timing couldn’t be worse.

It’s one of several medications that are becoming harder to get because of supply-chain issues and other problems.

With flu and respiratory syncytial virus rampant in Georgia and South Carolina, the amoxicillin shortage could be a real problem. That’s because children with these viruses can develop a secondary bacterial infection that requires an antibiotic. Amoxicillin is one of the main ones used in these cases.

Doctors like to prescribe the popular liquid form of amoxicillin, but the FDA just added the powder that’s used to make it to its list of medications in short supply.

“The problem is if you don’t know until after you write the script, and somebody is at the pharmacy, and they find out there’s nothing available. You know that angst that a parent doesn’t need,” said Dr. Lucinda DeMarco of United Health Care for Medicare and Retirement.

DeMarco says parents should call ahead to see if their pharmacy has the drug in stock. The shortage is concerning because hospitals across Georgia and South Carolina are seeing a surge of respiratory viruses in kids.

The FDA is working with manufacturers on supply chain issues, but so far there isn’t a clear timetable yet on when things will be back to normal.

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