From time to time the RANZCP is notified of shortages of reportable medicines in Australia.
This page lists current alerts received from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), together with actions you can take to manage the shortage.
For more information and to subscribe to updates, see the TGA’s Medicine Shortages Information Initiative.
If you know of a shortage, you can tell the College by emailing ranzcp@ranzcp.org
24 February 2020 | Tofranil 25 imipramine hydrochloride 25mg tablet blister pack
Tofranil 25 imipramine hydrochloride 25mg tablet blister pack (AUST R: 60673) is currently unavailable in Australia until 31 May 2021.
Pro Pharmaceuticals Group Pty Ltd advises that Imipramine 25mg tablets are available as Section 19A.
Orders can be placed via Pro Pharmaceuticals Group Pty Ltd website or emailing orders@propg.com.au or via Symbion Wholesalers PDE: 692379.
Please visit the TGA website for guidance regarding Section 19A.
24 February 2021 | Sertraline 50mg & 100mg tablets
Sertraline 50mg & 100mg tablets are currently of limited availability in Australia. Resolution dates vary between the different brands in shortage. Some brands will start to come back into stock between February and April 2021.
Medsurge currently holds a Section 19A until 30 June 2021.
Please visit the TGA website for guidance regarding Section 19A. See TGA Serious shortage substitution notice and Shortage of sertraline tablets alert for further information.
Medsurge Healthcare can be contacted on 1300 788 261 or email sales@medsurge.com.au
11 February 2021 | Parnate / Tranylcypromine 10 mg film coated tablet
PARNATE Tranylcypromine 10mg film coated tablet (ARTG 174086) is currently unavailable in Australia from
1 November 2020 until 15 February 2021 due to manufacturing issues.
The TGA has authorised Amdipharm Mercury (Australia) Pty Ltd to supply an overseas-registered brand of tranylcypromine under section 19A and have advised the TGA they are on track to resolve the shortage by mid-February.
Please visit the TGA website for guidance regarding Section 19A.
For more information from the TGA, please visit the TGA website.
11 February 2021 | Shortage of Nardil (phenelzine)
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has authorised two sponsors to supply an overseas-registered brand of phenelzine under Section 19A of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.
The overseas-registered brand of phenelzine is named Phenelzine Sulfate USP 15 mg tablets (Lupin Pharmaceuticals).
The Section 19A product sponsored by Generic Health is now subsidised through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Health professionals should contact the Section 19A approved sponsors on the above phone numbers for further information or to arrange supply.
Please visit the TGA website for guidance regarding Section 19A.
The shortage is due to global issues with the manufacture of the active pharmaceutical ingredient.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, and the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia have issued a joint statement on accessing alternatives and patient care.
This statement includes:
- information about options for obtaining phenelzine through an alternative access pathway
- advice for prescribers about switching patients from phenelzine to another treatment.
Importantly, a number of patients will have used phenelzine for many years, often with a resolution of symptoms no other anti-depressant has achieved. There will be considerable anxiety and distress in this community about this discontinuation. GPs are advised to consult with a psychiatrist regarding treatment options and transition. Ideally, a patient on phenelzine should be reviewed by a psychiatrist.
RANZCP members are asked to please ensure liaison with GPs regarding treatment options and transition in managing patient care.
14 December 2020 | Fluoxetine 20mg Capsules (pack of 100)
Medsurge Healthcare currently has a shortage in Australia of Fluoxetine 20mg Capsules (pack of 100).
Medsurge currently holds a Section 19A until 30 April 2021.
Please visit the TGA website for guidance regarding Section 19A.
Medsurge Healthcare can be contacted on 1300 788 261 or email sales@medsurge.com.au
There are a number of other minor shortages of other formulations of Fluoxetine, please refer to the TGA Medicine Shortages Information Initiative for more.
From time to time the RANZCP is notified of changes to New Zealand Pharmaceutical Schedule or an adverse medicine reaction in New Zealand.
When notifications become available they will be published here.
30 July 2020 | Ritalin sustained release 20mg – discontinuation in New Zealand
Novartis is internationally discontinuing its 20 mg dose of methylphenidate hydrochloride sustained release (brand name Ritalin SR).
Other formulations of Ritalin (Ritalin IR and Ritalin LA) are not impacted by this discontinuation and will continue to be supplied.
PHARMAC has received clinical advice from our Mental Health Subcommittee that Rubifen SR is the most comparable alternative to Ritalin SR.
The advice is that transitioning from Ritalin SR could appropriately be managed in primary care. The clinical advice also suggested that this could be a good time for prescribers to consider the ongoing therapeutic need of this medicine for their patients.
The supplier has decided to discontinue this product – it was not a decision made by PHARMAC.
If you have questions about the discontinuation of Ritalin SR, contact Novartis on 0800 354 335. If you have questions about funding criteria for 20 mg dose of methylphenidate hydrochloride sustained release you can email enquiry@pharmac.govt.nz or phone 0800 660 050.
12 May 2020 | Guidance for withdrawal from Phenelzine and switching to another antidepressant
The following has been released regarding phenelzine in NZ:
Guidance for switching from phenelzine to another antidepressant [PDF; KB]
24 April 2020 | Urgent message from PHARMAC re discontinuation of phenelzine (Nardil) tablets
PHARMAC has released the following correspondence regarding the discontinuation of phenelzine tablets in New Zealand. Psychiatrists as prescribers may need support transitioning patients from phenezline to alternative treatment.
Read the letter announcing the discontinuation of phenelzine sulphate 15 mg tablets [PDF; 211 KB]
1 November 2019 | New Zealand Transport Agency - Funded brand of Epilepsy medication (Lamotrigine)
The New Zealand Transport Agency has released the following advice about driving, following the change to funded brands of lamotrigine:
"Pharmac has recently announced there will be changes to funded brands of epilepsy medication, effective 1 October 2019.
The Transport Agency’s primary concern is road safety, and while we will not be enforcing a mandatory stand-down period from driving as we do when licence holders undergo a withdrawal of treatment, as a precaution we will be recommending that health practitioners whose patients have or will be transferring brands consider a voluntary stand down from driving during the eight-week early transition period after switching medications, should they have any concerns when considering an individual patient’s medical history and other relevant factors.
Additionally, we encourage anyone with concerns about the potential side effects as a consequence of changing brands to consult with their health practitioner or specialist before continuing to drive. Health professionals are often best placed to make a determination in respect of a person’s driving ability, by considering the patient’s medical history and other relevant factors that may only be known by their health practitioner."