Syphilis drug shortage comes amid high infection rates

This leaves a large number of women from sub-Saharan Africa with very high possibility of passing on syphilis to their babies hence resulting to high risk of stillbirth or deformity. According to Joy Gows, a Medicine Control Council Registrar, there was a shortage of benzathine penicillin in the whole world- the medicine which is ten years old but very effective for  syphilis testing.

Joy added that, it had come to the attention of the Department of Health that there exist a problem and a permit was issued to the local suppliers by the Medicine Control Council so that they would import drugs from a new supplier until the month of February. This was done with the aim of preventing the medicine shortages.

Anonymous medical expert claimed

A confirmation made by one of the doctors from the state has it that even though the syphilis drug was available, there was a short supply of it; this means that the prescription for this particular drug was rationed. Anonymous medical expert claimed that the shortage of penicillin was a result of “a classic case of a very old and cheap drug that has a low profit margin disappearing from the market.”

In the month of March, World Health Organization decided to raise the issue as it based its arguments on the fact that there were no enough active ingredient being manufacture for this kind of penicillin. Stavros Nicolau, the executive of Aspen Pharmacare claimed that a decade ago, all of the three local manufactures of this kind of penicillin were forced out of the business and after that, the Chinese pharmaceutical companies were awarded the tenders.

Modification of tendering policy

"Once a plant is decommissioned it is for life. Now all of the active ingredient has to come from China. It is uncertain if China can keep up with the demand." Nicolau went ahead to confirm that in order to prevent this situation from recurring, the Department of Health had decided to change their tendering policy.

"Under the health policy today tenders are not granted solely overseas and some manufacturing capacity is kept in this country," said Nicolau. The World Health Organization (Who) has made a call for a better estimate of the amount of penicillin required worldwide to make it possible in ensuring that the penicillin supply meets the demand.

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