Major pharmacy chains limit sales of child pain meds amid high demand

Pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens are imposing limits on the amount of children's pain medication customers can purchase in one instance as demand for them surges.

While Walgreens will limit the purchase of such products online to six per order, CVS has announced a more stringent limit of two per online or in-store purchase, according to The Hill.

In particularly high demand this year are pediatric fever reduction products, in part, due to concurrent surges of COVID-19, the flu, and respiratory illness RSV, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dubbed a "tripledemic."

The pharmacies said they remained committed to providing their customers with the products they require, but that lingering supply-chain issues would still impact the volume of product they could sell.

"We're committed to meeting our customers' needs and are working with our suppliers to ensure continued access to these items," CVS said, per the outlet.

"While Walgreens continues to have products to support our customers and patients, we have put into effect an online only purchase limit of 6 per online transaction to prevent excess purchasing behavior," said the other pharmacy chain.

Complicating matters is an ongoing antibiotics shortage that has at least partially stemmed from the spread of RSV, which has greater potential for severe symptoms in children.

"What we are seeing is record levels of RSV in young children. Usually, we see a spike in December or January, but it's earlier this year," Yale Medicine infectious disease specialist Scott Roberts said in late November. "COVID is still the most prevalent virus in the community, but it's on a downward trajectory, while RSV and flu are increasing."