By Courtney Brogle and Tim Stelloh -
NBC News
CVS and Walgreens are limiting the number of medications people can buy at one time to relieve children's pain amid a winter plagued by respiratory viruses, the companies said Monday.
CVS announced it is limiting the number of pain relievers to two, while Walgreens customers can buy six over-the-counter pediatric fever reducers, the company said in a statement.
“Due to increased demand and various supplier issues, over-the-counter pediatric fever-reducing products are experiencing restrictions across the country,” Walgreens explained.
The limit applies to products purchased online or in pharmacies, according to the companies.
[Increase in cases of respiratory viruses, especially among children and the elderly, sets off alarm bells]
Walmart reported that although the company has seen increased demand for pediatric medications this year, it has been able to meet that demand and there are no purchase limits.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services said the agency had been monitoring the increase in demand for the drugs.
“All HHS operating divisions are engaged and play a critical role in addressing these issues,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
They report high occupancy in hospitals due to respiratory viruses and it will be worse for the New Year
Dec 18, 202201:59
In a separate statement, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added that it cannot require companies to make drugs, but that it is working closely with drug manufacturers to "understand, mitigate, and prevent or reduce the impact of intermittent or increasing demand for certain products”.
"The FDA understands that manufacturers expect availability to continue to increase in the near future," the statement said.
[Why is the RSV virus so dangerous for some children and not for others?]
This fall, doctors have seen an early rise in respiratory illness among young children: infants and preschoolers have contracted the flu and other viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Several US children's hospitals also recently detected a severe, invasive form of strep that has killed at least 15 children in the UK since mid-September.
As of Monday, 78% of hospital beds in nearly 5,000 hospitals across the country were full, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.
About the same percentage of intensive care beds were in use, according to the data.
The Walgreens store on State and Randolph streets in Chicago. Chicago Tribune / Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images
According to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of people contracting the flu remains high, but has decreased in some areas.
[Why do we get sick with the flu or cold when temperatures drop? A study locates the reason for the first time in our nose]
The agency recorded nine pediatric deaths last week, bringing to 30 the number of children who have died from the disease this season.
In all, the agency estimated 150,000 flu hospitalizations and 9,300 deaths.
Respiratory viruses have hit young children hard because many stayed home after the coronavirus pandemic nearly three years ago, leaving their immune systems vulnerable to common illnesses, experts say.