Nitrofurantoin Oral Suspension Drug Shortage

Attention: All Providers and PharmaciesEffective Date: June 12, 2020Call to action: Drug shortages of nitrofurantoin oral suspension have been identified on the Medicaid and CHIP formularies.  There is only one National Drug Code (NDC) available on the market, and it is not on the Medicaid formulary. There are many other antibiotic choices available on the formulary and prescribers may choose an appropriate alternative based on patient diagnosis and indication for use. How this impacts providers:  Members may reach out to providers upon receipt of a shortage letter from their health plan and/or pharmacy. Pharmacies may dispense another manufacturer’s nitrofurantoin due to this shortage. Next steps for providers: Providers should consider alternatives for urinary tract infection (UTI) and/or consider nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin®) capsules for compounding if patient is unable to take capsule.  Alternatives include fluoroquinolones (e.g. ciprofloxacin suspension, ciprofloxacin immediate-release tablets, levofloxacin tablets) and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. If you have any questions, please email Provider Network Management at: providerrelations@texaschildrens.org.For access to all provider alerts,log into: www.thecheckup.org or www.texaschildrenshealthplan.org/for-providers.