Health
FDA Allows Imports of Syphilis Drug Alternate During Shortage
- Syphilis rates are the highest since the 1990s: CDC data
- US government created task force to address the crisis
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US regulators gave temporary permission for importation of a form of penicillin used to treat syphilis amid a national shortage of Pfizer Inc.’s version of the drug along with a dramatic increase in cases.
The Food and Drug Administration authorized importation of penicillin G benzathine made by a French company, Laboratoires Delbert, according to the agency website. Pfizer’s Bicillin L-A, the only version of the drug available in the US, has been in short supply since April.