Pfizer Warns of Bicillin Shortages

In a 6/12 letter to customers, Pfizer advises there is a “limited supply and impending stock out” for selected Bicillin L-A (penicillin G benzathine injectable suspension) and Bicillin C-R (penicillin G benzathine and penicillin G procaine injectable suspension) prefilled syringes. The letter estimates that all Bicillin C-R syringes are estimated to be depleted in the third quarter of this year, and all Bicillin L-A pediatric prefilled syringes will be depleted by the end of the second quarter. “These presentations will not be available until further notice,” it says.

Pfizer attributes the supply interruption to a “complex combination of factors including significant increases in demand, due to an increase in syphilis infection rates as well as competitive shortages.” The company says to meet the increased demand it has prioritized manufacturing capacity for two Bicillin L-A presentations.