STD Directors Call For Government To Stockpile Lone Congenital Syphilis Treatment As Manufacturer Reveals Long-Term Shortage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 13, 2023 

Contact: Elizabeth Finley, efinley@ncsddc.org, 919-749-7309 

Washington, DC – The National Coalition of STD Directors is calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to add the antibiotic Bicillin to the Strategic National Stockpile following an announcement from the drug’s only manufacturer, Pfizer, of a Bicillin supply shortage expected to last more than a year. David C. Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), issued the following statement on the importance of government action on this life-saving drug: 

“The United States is in the middle of a rising epidemic of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and healthcare providers can no longer treat or protect the most profoundly harmed patients – pregnant women and babies with congenital syphilis – in part, because Pfizer has failed to provide an adequate supply of the antibiotics. We are calling on federal officials to add Bicillin to the Strategic National Stockpile as an emergency move to head off this growing maternal and infant health emergency.”  

“Congenital syphilis has been on the rise for more than a decade, and Pfizer has not planned for an adequate supply based on available CDC trend number. This was an avoidable tragedy we’ve seen happen before, but it is one we cannot afford to repeat. By the time Pfizer predicts meeting demand, thousands of babies will be born with congenital syphilis and suffer lifelong disabilities and many people will experience avoidable pregnancy loss while this simple and effective drug was unavailable due to preventable supply issues. The government must coordinate immediate action.”  

“The Biden administration’s new STI Implementation Plan calls for an all-of-nation response to address the epidemics of STIs, including coordination to solve supply shortages. It’s time to take action. Furthermore, this doubles down on the need to fund the public health workforce of Disease Intervention Specialists (DIS), the professionals who help break chains of STI transmission in communities. If we no longer have the only drug that can treat pregnant women and babies with syphilis, it’s all the more important to have DIS working to prevent infections from ever reaching them,” said David C. Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD)  

About Bicillin 

Bicillin is an antibiotic and the only safe and effective treatment for pregnant women with syphilis. Unlike other antibiotics, Bicillin can pass to the fetus during pregnancy, thereby treating syphilis in the fetus, meaning that it is the only drug that fully treats syphilis during pregnancy. Congenital syphilis can cause stillbirth and profound birth defects. In 2021, more than 2800 infants were born with congenital syphilis – an increase of more than 200% in a five-year span. 

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