Due to surges in three respiratory infections – RSV, influenza and COVID-19 – pharmacies in the U.S. are limiting the sale of children’s pain medication.
A quick online search at a Chicago Walgreens store Tuesday afternoon also found that many children’s pain relievers were out of stock.
“Supplies of these products are being replenished as quickly as possible, and there is not a widespread shortage in the U.S.” said the Consumer Healthcare Products Association in a Monday statement. “However, with demand for children’s pain and fever medicines reaching unprecedented levels following this early and severe flu season (along with cases of RSV and COVID), we understand why some retailers have adjusted to impose limits on purchases.”
Both Walgreens and CVS confirmed to CNN that pharmacies at the drugstores would be limiting the sale of children’s pain reliever.
“CVS is restricting both in-person and online purchases to two children’s pain relief products, said the outlet. “Walgreens has limited online purchases to six over-the-counter fever reducers per transaction, but it does not have an in-store purchase limit.”
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In a statement, Walgreens said its decision was intended to ensure medication remained available and to prevent excess purchases.
Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics published two sets of interim guidance on prophylaxis for children at high risk of complications from RSV cases flooding hospitals and doctor’s offices. Dr. Shelly Vaziri Flais, assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of medicine and a spokesperson for the AAP, said that this season has been like no other she’s seen in more than two decades.
“It’s bananas,” she said, according to USA Today.
Compared to this time last year, sales of pediatric internal analgesics are up 65%, according to the Consumer Healthcare Products Association. It said the reason for the “scarcity of OTC children’s pain relievers at certain retail locations” is directly related to the surge in respiratory infections.
“While CHPA member companies are running manufacturing facilities 24-7 to meet demand, we will continue to encourage consumers to buy only what they need, so other families can find and purchase the medicines they are seeking,” the association said. It also noted that recent figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that flu cases have started to decline, which may lessen demand for children’s pan relief medication going forward.
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