JUNE 2023

SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19

• Sanford Guide SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 main page.
• COVID-19 vaccination in cancer patients: recommendations from NCCN here.
• Currently authorized vaccines. See COVID-19 Prevention for table summarizing use and data.
• ESCMID COVID-19 living guidelines: drug treatment and clinical management (Clin Microbiol Infect 2022;28:222). Available at PMC.
• Guidelines on COVID-19 diagnosis, serology, treatment and management, and infection prevention: IDSA and NIH.
• Living WHO guideline on drugs for COVID-19 (BMJ 2021;375:n2936).
• Living WHO guideline on drugs to prevent COVID-19 (BMJ 2021;372:n526). Available here.
• Living WHO guideline on prophylaxis against COVID-19 (BMJ 2021;373:n949). Available at PMC.
• Management of hospitalized adults with COVID-19: a European Respiratory Society living guideline (Eur Respir J 2021;57(4):2100048). Available at PMC.

Second RSV vaccine approved

• The US FDA has approved a second respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine (Abrysvo) for use in individuals 60 years of age and older. This unadjuvanted, bivalent vaccine is composed of equal amounts of recombinant RSV prefusion F protein from RSV subgroups A and B. Dosage is a single 0.5 mL injection. The vaccine will not be released until fall.

Drug Shortages (US)

• Antimicrobial drugs or vaccines in reduced supply or unavailable (as of June 12, 2023) due to increased demand, manufacturing delays, product discontinuation by a specific manufacturer, or unspecified reasons: 
  • New shortages since May 5, 2023:
    • Isoniazid injection (100 mg/mL)
    • Penicillin VK tablets (250 mg, 500 mg; 250 mg/5 mL oral solution
      
    • Ribavirin inhalation powder for solution
      
  • Shortage recently resolved:
    • Clotrimazole 10 mg oral troches
      
    • Rifampin injection
    • Rifapentine 150 mg tablets
    • Rifaximin tablets (200 mg, 550 mg)
  • Antibacterial drugs:
    • Aminoglycosides:
      • Amikacin injection
      • Gentamicin injection
      • Neomycin tablets
      • Tobramycin injection
    • Bacitracin ophthalmic ointment (unavailable)
    • Carbapenems:
      • Meropenem injection
    • Cephalosporins:
      • Cefazolin injection
      • Cefixime 400 mg capsules
      • Cefotaxime injection (FDA is allowing temporary importation of product from SteriMax in Canada, in conjunction with Provepharm Life Solutions and its distributor Direct Success. Click here for details),
    • Clindamycin injection
    • Doxycycline oral suspension
    • Fluoroquinolones:
      • Ciprofloxacin injection
      • Ciprofloxacin 0.3% ophthalmic solution
      • Ofloxacin 0.3% ophthalmic solution
    • Glycopeptides, glycolipopeptides, lipopeptides:
      
      • Vancomycin injection
    • Macrolides/azalides:
      • Azithromycin injection
      • Azithromycin ophthalmic solution 1% (unavailable)
      • Erythromycin 0.5% ophthalmic ointment
    • Metronidazole injection
    • Nitrofurantoin oral suspension
    • Penicillins:
      • Amoxicillin (all oral formulations)
      • Amoxicillin-clavulanate (all oral formulations)
      • Dicloxacillin capsules (250 mg, 500 mg)
      • Penicillin G benzathine injection
      • Penicillin G benzathine/Penicillin G procaine (Bicillin)
      • Piperacillin-tazobactam injection
    • Polymyxin B sulfate/Trimethoprim sulfate ophthalmic solution
    • Sulfacetamide 10%/Prednisolone 0.2% ophthalmic ointment (unavailable)
    • Sulfanilamide 15% vaginal cream (unavailable)
  • Antifungal drugs: 
    
    • Amphotericin B injection
    • Amphotericin B Lipid Complex (ABLC)
  • Antimycobacterial drugs: 
    
    • Isoniazid 100 mg, 300 mg tablets
    • Rifampin capsules
  • Antiparasitic drugs:
    • Primaquine
  • Antiviral drugs: 
    
    • Oseltamivir capsules, powder for oral suspension
    • Valganciclovir tablets, powder for oral solution
  • Vaccines:
    • None
      

• Antimicrobial drugs recently discontinued: 
  • Ritonavir oral solution 80 mg/mL (January 2023)
  • Lindane 1% shampoo (discontinued by Wockhardt USA in June 2022, no other supplier)
  • Quinupristin-Dalfopristin (discontinued by Pfizer in early 2022, no other supplier)
  • Gemifloxacin 320 mg tablet (August 2022, no further US distribution)
  • Gentamicin sulfate 0.3% ophthalmic ointment (July 2022)
  • Mupirocin calcium 2% cream (Bactroban [GSK], June 2020)
  • Bacitracin injection (February 2020)
  • Interferon alfa-2b (Intron A, October 2019)
  • Mupirocin calcium 2% nasal ointment (Bactroban Nasal [GSK], August 2019)

• For more detailed information including estimated resupply dates, see https://www.ashp.org/Drug-Shortages/