THE Pharmacy Guild of Australia has advised there are now limited stocks of EpiPens coming into Australia, with more received last week and now in the process of being labelled and distributed.
The shortage is a worldwide issue due to problems with the overseas manufacturing plant, with signs the matter is being addressed.
In Forefront this week the Guild noted the TGA is monitoring the situation, and advises pharmacists to contact Alphapharm on 1800 274 276 for an emergency supply as well as advise patients to retain their soon-to-expire EpiPens and use them in case of an emergency, as long as the liquid inside isn't discoloured or contains sediment.
The TGA has also organised a temporary supply of a similar product called Emerade (marketed by Bausch + Lomb in the UK) and these should also be available in the next few weeks.
In addition a third company is looking to enter the Australian market with an EpiPen-like product in the middle of 2018.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 09 Mar 18
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 09 Mar 18
