A Lyme disease drug shortage has prompted two U.S. senators to contact the Food and Drug Administration.
U.S. Sen Susan Collins, R-Maine, and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., called on the FDA to move on the shortage, reported the Bangor Daily News.
“According to our state epidemiologist, the number of Maine residents diagnosed with Lyme disease continues to increase each year,” Collins said in a statement Friday. “The antibiotic Doxycycline is critically important for treating these patients, and it’s imperative that the FDA do all it can to help alleviate this shortage.”
Doxycycline is used to treat a number of illnesses, not only Lyme. It also can be used for acne, pneumonia, MRSA, rosacea, and chlamydia. The Doxycycline shortage began several moths ago due to manufacturing delays and drug companies providing it to contracted customers only.
“We’ve had availability, but the price is going up and that’s obviously a concern, too,” epidemiologist Stephen Sears told the paper. “And, sooner or later, if it’s getting to be short nationally, it’s going to get short here, just as other drugs have.”
Senator Klobuchar said that “as summer approaches, hospitals and doctors need to be ready to treat the rise in Lyme Disease cases,” according to the Northland News Center.
Both Minnesota and Maine have high rates of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.
