"We started noticing there was a shortage around the end of September, the beginning of October," said Marc Alch of Shadeland Pharmacy in Drexel Hill. Alch says it's been tough keeping enough generic ciprofloxacin, commonly known as "Cipro," around this fall & winter.
"We went to larger bottles, just to make sure we had it," Alch added.
Cipro was the lifesaving antibiotic used for victims of the anthrax attacks in 2001. But it has many other uses: For bone & joint infections; for skin infections; for sinus infections; and for urinary tract infections.
Also, the use of Cipro has grown as some bacteria have become resistant to other antibiotics.
Brand name Cipro is still in good supply, but the cheaper generic isn't for several reasons: One maker of generic Cipro bought another, and has temporarily shut down; Another factory was shut down when an FDA audit turned up problems; There's also been a shortage of raw ingredients.
But Dr. Ebbing Lautenbach, of the University of Pennsylvania, says there are other drugs in the same family as Cipro that are available.
"There are older antibiotics, the sulfa antibiotics, like Bactrim, Septra," suggests Lautenbach.Alch says if you get a prescription for generic Cipro, you might want to call several pharmacies before making the trip.
"They may have a better chance getting it from an independent pharmacy rather than a chain," Alch suggests.
