The antibiotic most commonly used against COVID-19 has run out in Italy, pharmacy sources said Thursday.
The drug, Zitromax, as well as its generic version, have been absent from pharmacy shelves for days, they said.
It is used to treat COVID patients both at home and in hospital, in combination with anti-inflammatory drugs.
The disappearance of the drug has reportedly been caused by a scarcity of the molecule needed to produce it.
The scarcity is linked to the massive use of the drug over the past two months amid the Omicron variant spike in the fourth wave of the coronavirus, sources said.
It may also be linked to hoarding by people who have not contracted COVID but who are scared of getting it.
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