LONDON (Reuters) -The British government on Thursday announced it was enacting protocols to ease shortages of penicillin medicines used to treat Strep A infections, allowing pharmacists to prescribe alternatives where stocks are low.
“The increased demand for the antibiotics prescribed to treat Strep A has meant some pharmacists have been unable to supply the medicine shown on the prescription,” health department minister Will Quince said in a statement.
“These Serious Shortage Protocols will allow pharmacists to supply an alternative form of penicillin, which will make things easier for them, patients, and GPs (doctors).”
The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Control & Prevention (ECDC) on Monday said Europe should be vigilant against severe infections caused by a bacteria called group A Streptococcus in children below 10 years.
More than a dozen children in Britain have reportedly died in recent weeks from the infection. The UK Health Security Agency has said there is an increase in infections, but that there was no evidence to suggest a new strain of the bacteria.
Ministers have previously said there was no shortage of supply of the recommended drugs to treat the infection, but acknowledged localised difficulties in getting hold of the prescribed medicine.
The health department in its statement described the enactment of the protocols as “a standard procedure, used frequently to manage temporary and potential medicine supply issues.”
(Reporting by William James; editing by James Davey)
