FDA Places Heartburn Drug on Shortage List

Famotidine, a heartburn medicine better known as Pepcid, has been added to the FDA’s drug shortage list shortly after it became known that the drug is being tested as a COVID-19 treatment.

Last week, the New York City health network Northwell Health reported that it is conducting a trial of famotidine/hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 in hospitalized patients using high intravenous doses of the heartburn med (DID, April 28).

Although the hospital system released only limited information to ward off false hope and a potential increase in demand, injectable famotidine is now in short supply, according to the FDA’s shortage listing, which cited “demand increase.”

Baxter Healthcare, Fresenius Kabi, Hikma Pharmaceuticals and Mylan all reported supply issues for injectable famotidine. Fresenius Kabi said it will release more product sometime this month, but Mylan said it will have an intermittent supply of the drug until June, and Baxter said that it expects the supply to recover in the third quarter of 2020.

Famotidine tablets produced by Aurobindo Pharma, Carlsbad Technology and Teva Pharmaceuticals have also been placed on the agency’s shortage list. — James Miessler