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Central Pa. pharmacies see shortage of certain drugs due to high demand

The reason for the shortage is the increased demand for antibiotics and manufacturing issues.

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Local pharmacies are experiencing shortages of certain drugs due to increased demand.

“Our primary supplier has not been able to get us some diabetes medicine like Ozempic, Amoxicillin Suspension has been a very big issue for us to get in, and with that not being available some of the other antibiotics have also been in short supply," said Melissa Koehler, the owner of Hillcrest Pharmacy and Compounding in Lancaster.

Hillcrest Pharmacy and Compounding has been dealing with this issue for about a month. They say that for them, the hardest thing to get has been Amoxicillin, an antibiotic used to treat certain infections caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia.

“We really try and source them from different suppliers where we can and be able to pre-order when they are available to expect what our patients are going to need," said Koehler. 

Nearly 66% of pharmacies are experiencing difficulties getting Amoxicillin, according to a new National Community Pharmacists Association survey. The FDA recently added Amoxicillin Oral Solution to its drug shortage database

“[If a child] would get an ear infection and we can’t treat them with the Amoxicillin suspension, we have to find other antibiotics that they could use or maybe go to a chewable medicine that might not be as easy to get," said Koehler. 

The reason for the shortage is the increased demand for antibiotics and some manufacturing issues.

“We do try our best to just go with the flow and help the patient as best as we can, but on the back end of things, it’s just a bit difficult to do what we have to do on a day-to-day basis when we’re doing extra leg work to try to and find backorder medication," said Koehler. 

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