CVS and Walgreens RATION Children’s Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen Due to Shortages

Purchases of children’s pain meds will be limited at two of the largest US pharmacy chains this winter as demand surges amid the ‘tripledemic’.

CVS will limit in-store and online purchases of Tylenol, Advil and Motrin to two products per person, while Walgreens will only allow six products to be purchased at a time online.

As supply chain issues rise and flu cases such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid begin to surge, the drugs have been in low supply across America since the beginning of the flu season.

Drugs like the children’s antibiotic amoxicillin, along with other drugs that are used to fight bacterial and viral illnesses, have faced recorded shortages.

‘Due to increased demand and various supplier challenges, over-the-counter pediatric fever-reducing products are seeing constraint across the country,’ Walgreens told Bloomberg. 

Walmart and Rite Aid, two other leading pharmacy chains in the US, told Bloomberg they did not plan to restrict purchases at this time.

Demand for fever reducers and pain relievers – notably pediatric varieties – has rocketed just as manufacturers face issues.

These products include children’s acetaminophen, sold under the brand name Tylenol across the US, and ibuprofen – sold under the names Advil and Motrin.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which exhibits brands that make painkillers, told Bloomberg: ‘[the shortage is a] direct result of the recent and rapid increase in demand driven by a rise in pediatric cases of respiratory illnesses including the flu, COVID, and RSV.’ 

Levels of RSV outbreaks and the flu are higher than the nation has seen in previous years.

Experts have described it as the worst flu season since the 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic. Hospitals have been overwhelmed by patients, mostly children.

During a briefing Thursday, Dr Ashish Jha, the White House Covid Response Coordinator, said RSV is ‘no doubt’ starting to decline. 

These are exploratory figures. In future reports, the CDC is expected to increase the number of confirmed RSV cases from this week.

Like the flu, RSV does not pose much danger to grown adults, but is especially dangerous to young children.