Pfizer is slated to run out of some penicillin products this year and expects its supplies to be limited for much of next year, according to a company letter published this week.

The pharma giant wrote to healthcare professionals and pharmacists that its products Bicillion L-A (penicillin G benzathine injectable suspension) and Bicillin C-R (penicillin G benzathine and penicillin G procaine injectable suspension) Prefilled Syringes are in limited supply and there is an impending stock out situation at play.

The company projected that its supply of Bicillin L-A and pediatric prefilled syringes will deplete by the end of Q2, while the supply of Bicillin C-R will deplete by the end of Q3.

Additionally, Pfizer said it has identified a number of causes responsible for the shortage.

“The supply interruption is the result of 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 stated.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a concerning rise in the rates of sexually transmitted infections across the U.S. Among the list of venereal diseases that have experienced an increase in reported cases, syphilis jumped nearly 32% between 2020 to 2021, according to a report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in April.

Penicillin, which was developed in 1928, has long been used to treat and cure the early stages of syphilis. For treating late latent syphilis, the CDC recommends that three doses of long-acting Benzathine penicillin G be administered at weekly intervals. 

In light of the evolving public health situation and increased demand for the penicillin products, Pfizer pledged that it will prioritize manufacturing for Bicillin L-A as well as the pediatric prefilled syringes.

Drug shortages have become a concern not only for manufacturers like Pfizer but federal officials as well.

Last month, the White House quietly assembled a team to address the issues surrounding the quantity and quality of medicines. This comes as domestic drug shortages hit a five-year high in the face of chronic problems facing the nation’s supply chain.