The number of amoxicillin products on back order has increased to 44 after months of the antibiotic being out of stock, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Depending on the ASHP's website or the FDA's drug shortage database, between two dozen and three dozen oral presentations of amoxicillin have been in shortage because of high demand since late October. At the time, the shortage was expected to resolve by the end of 2022.
As of Dec. 8, most drugmakers told ASHP they could not estimate a resupply date, but Teva Pharmaceuticals has release dates in January and February, and Hikma Pharmaceuticals short-dated their allocated supply for August 2023.
The worsening supply issue could be connected to the surge in viral infections even though amoxicillin is not a recommended treatment for COVID-19, flu or respiratory syncytial virus infections. Amoxicillin is not recommended to treat RSV cases, but some physicians will prescribe antibiotics when they are not medically necessary.
The original drug shortage may have sent a ripple effect through amoxicillin/clavulanate products — the recommended backup treatment for some infections if amoxicillin is not available — because 29 of them were in short supply as of late November.