GILA COUNTY — A pregnant woman in Gila County, Arizona, was diagnosed with syphilis in late March 2026. Public health officials submitted an emergency request for Bicillin L-A for the patient on March 27, 2026.

Pfizer, the sole company selling Bicillin L-A in the United States, confirmed receipt of this emergency request on March 30, 2026. The medication had not arrived by April 7, 2026, and the newborn was subsequently diagnosed with congenital syphilis.

Bicillin L-A is the only treatment approved in the U.S. for syphilis during pregnancy. A national shortage of the drug has been in effect since July 2025. Pfizer maintains an emergency request system for confirmed congenital syphilis cases and those at risk of congenital syphilis.

On April 7, 2026, a leader at the National Coalition of STD Directors wrote to a Pfizer representative regarding the delay. "What can be done to get bicillin for this patient ASAP? These are the kind of delays that make the emergency request line not a viable option for public health response," the leader wrote. A Pfizer representative responded that Customer Service could not locate a medical request form. "Did they submit a medical request form first? I checked with Customer Service and they can't locate. If we can get a medical request we will get it processed," the representative wrote.

An official at the Arizona Department of Health Services confirmed the county had completed the medical request form. On April 7, 2026, the official stated that the patient had delivered. "Mom has delivered and we have missed our opportunity to prevent congenital syphilis," the official wrote.

In February 2026, the National Coalition of STD Directors asked Pfizer to donate a portion of its Bicillin L-A reserves to state health departments. In early June 2026, Pfizer stated it was still evaluating the idea of proactively distributing doses to state health departments.

No independent assessment was available for this report.