Morphine shortages
January 25, 2013
ALL strengths of Hospira’s DBL
Morphine Sulfate Injection
products are in limited supply due
to manufacturing issues resulting in
delays to packaging, according to a
warning by the Therapeutic Goods
Administration.
To maintain supply, Hospira have
arranged for an alternative 10mg/
mL Morphine Sulphate Injection,
Wockhardt Morphine Sulphate
Injection 10mg/1mL, which has
gone through a regulatory approval
process in the United Kingdom.
There will not be alternative
products for the 5 mg/1mL, 15 mg/
1mL and 30mg/1mL products and
their supply will be remain tight
over the first half of 2013.
This product can now be ordered
from nominated wholesalers.
One caveat of the alternate
Wockhardt Morphine Sulphate
Injection 10mg/1mL is that there
are critical formulation differences
between it and the DBL Morphine
Sulfate Injection.
These differences include the fact
that unlike the DBL product, the
Wockhardt contains a preservative.
The use of this preservative
means that the drug can only be
administered by the intravenous,
intramuscular & subcutaneous routes.
Wockhardt is not safe to be used
for epidural and intrathecal routes.
Health professionals who use the
DBL Morphine 10mg/mL product
for the epidural or intrathecal route
are advised to reserve stock of the
DBL product or the other strengths
of DBL Morphine products so that
they will be able to continue to
administer morphine by the
epidural and intrathecal route
whilst the shortage exists.
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