WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Food and Drug Administration is expecting a national shortage of the penicillin antibiotic, amoxicillin.
The shortage is expected to be in amoxicillin powder. That’s used to make the liquid form of the antibiotic used to treat young children.
Scott Hoff is the owner and pharmacist of Moorland Plaza Pharmacy in Waukesha. It’s been in business since 1960 and Hoff has owned the pharmacy for 23 years.
“Every year we come into a flu season, a cold and cough season, there is a potential for shortages,” Hoff said. “We’ve seen them in the past, we’ve worked through them and if it happens again this year, we’ll be ready to do the same.”
Hoff said, so far, he has seen no shortages in the liquid form of the amoxicillin, but if a shortage occurs there are other antibiotics that can do the job. He also said there are ways he can make the pill form of amoxicillin work in liquid form if need be.
“We can crush them and grind them up, we have ways to work with the parents and give them little tricks to get that ground up tablet down the hatch and get their little one feeling better,” said Hoff.
Tom Zimmerman is one of Hoff’s pharmacists. He’s also a first-time dad with an eight-month-old infant at home.
As a pharmacist, Zimmerman said he knows everything will be fine if there is a shortage, but said he understands why some parents are concerned.
Hoff said it’s best to stay calm and know there are many solutions available if there is an amoxicillin shortage. In the meantime, he encourages his customers to stay healthy and look forward to the end of cold and flu season.
“We want everybody just to have a good healthy season and make it through on the other side in the spring and see the birds start to chirp again,” said Hoff.