THE Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has advised it has implemented a Serious Scarcity Substitution Instrument (SSSI) for Catapres (clonidine, Clinect) 150 microgram (mcg) tablets, which will be in shortage from Dec 2025 to Apr 2026 due to manufacturing issues.
Catapres is the only brand of clonidine 150mcg tablets supplied in Australia, and the SSSI allows a pharmacist to dispense an equivalent quantity of clonidine 100mcg tablets, if considered appropriate for the patient, without a new prescription.
"It is important to note that inadvertent overdose may occur if the tablet is inaccurately split," the TGA stated, adding that in some cases, "alternative treatments other than substitution may be more appropriate."
Pharmacists are then required to advise the prescriber of the substitution as soon as possible.
Research published last year (PD 12 Nov 2025) revealed that more than 3,000 Australians were poisoned by ADHD medications in 2023, with clonidine among the most commonly implicated drugs.
The following brands of 100mcg clonidine tablets are expected to remain available during the shortage of Catapres 150mcg tablets: Catapres 100mcg, APO Clonidine 100mcg, and Clonidine Lupin 100mcg.
Clonidine tablets are used for essential hypertension and renal hypertension, with the drug also used off-label for conditions including ADHD, chronic pain and cancer pain.
See more on the SSSI HERE.
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