Louisville pharmacists say amoxicillin shortage is a supply and demand issue

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Patients around the country are having a difficult time filling prescriptions for the common antibiotic amoxicillin due to what pharmacists believe is an issue with its manufacturers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration added amoxicillin to its shortage list Oct. 28.

"Quite simply, the supply cannot keep up with the demand," said Amanda Thurman, a clinical pharmacist for Norton Healthcare.

While manufacturers haven't disclosed the cause of the shortage, pharmacists say there's just not enough to go around.

"It's not the fault of the pharmacy or the pharmacist themselves," said Kaley Shapard, a pharmacist with UofL Health. "It's really more of an issue with the manufacturer and them not having the adequate supplies and being able to keep up with the demand of the antibiotic."

Last year, a spike in respiratory illnesses forced drug store chains to temporarily limit purchases of fever-reducing medicines for children. By October, the FDA declared amoxicillin to be in shortage, and prescriptions for it quickly dropped 90%, CNN reported. Doctors began pivoting to other antibiotics, some of which are stronger and have harsher side effects.

"We are seeing this exactly as we saw it last year," said Angela Sandlin, pharmacy director at Baptist Health La Grange. "So, history repeats itself."

Medications like Adderall and amoxicillin generate thin profits so companies don't have an incentive to make and store large amounts in case a shortage develops, according to Erin Fox University of Utah Health researcher.

However, pharmacists say that some pharmacies are given a larger allocation of the limited supply, and calling ahead to places can be beneficial to those looking for the antibiotic.

"They are still shipping periodically from the manufacturers to the distributors, then from the distributors to the pharmacies," Thurman said. "So, it's not necessarily an all-or-none situation right now. This means that patients should continue to check with pharmacies, check with different pharmacies, to see if they have been allocated some of the medication from the distributor."

It's not clear how long the shortage could last.