HPS Pharmacies wish to give notice that Sandoz, in consultation with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has initiated a drug recall for Metformin Sandoz tablets as follows:
Metformin Sandoz
Metformin 1000mg
ARTG 292865
The only batch affected by this drug recall is: E920021 (expiry Jan 2025)
This drug recall was initiated following the recovery of the N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) impurity.
Please inspect your stock and quarantine any defect stock. If HPS Pharmacies provide imprest management services to your facility, an HPS representative will inspect all stock stored in the designated imprest areas at the earliest opportunity. All affected products will be quarantined for return to the supplier, and HPS Pharmacies will arrange for replacement stock as soon as possible. An HPS Pharmacies staff member will contact senior medical and nursing staff if there is an immediate impact to your facility.
Retain this notice in a prominent position, including in other related business units for one month. Report any problems identified with medicines, vaccines or medical devices to the TGA.
Should you require further information regarding this matter, please contact Sandoz on 1800 726 369 or your pharmacist at HPS Pharmacies.
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HPS Pharmacies wishes to give notice that Pfizer is making some changes to the support provided by the Clopine® Services Team. The following changes will come into effect on 1 February 2024:
- The role of the Clopine® Services Team will be limited to directing users to the haematologist and will no longer be a conduit of information between the haematologist and the user.
- Additional blood or medical history files will not be handled by the Clopine® Services Team and must be discussed with the haematologist directly.
- Any adjustments to monitoring (e.g. overrides) must be entered directly into ClopineCENTRAL® by the treating team.
- Users are strongly encouraged to record and maintain all patient medical history (including information from the haematology consultations) in their own internal records.
Pfizer advises that these changes are being made with the intention of streamlining their services. They are not related to any safety, efficacy or quality issues with the service.
Retain this notice in a prominent position, including in other related business units for one month. Report any problems identified with medicines, vaccines or medical devices to the TGA.
Should you require further information regarding this matter, please contact the Clopine® Services Team on 1800 656 403, or your pharmacist at HPS Pharmacies.
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HPS Pharmacies wish to advise that Aspen is discontinuing the following sumatriptan products:
- Imigran® (sumatriptan) 10mg Nasal Spray;
- Imigran® (sumatriptan) 20mg Nasal Spray;
- Imigran® (sumatriptan) MKII 6mg/0.5mL Autoinjector; and
- Imigran® (sumatriptan) MKII 6mg/0.5mL Injection.
An alternative brand of sumatriptan 6mg/0.5mL injection is available in the autoinjector presentation. However, there is currently no alternative brand of sumatriptan nasal spray. Wholesalers may still have stock available of the 20mg nasal spray, but supplies of the 10mg nasal spray have been depleted.
Retain this notice in a prominent position, including in other related business units for at least one month. Report any problems identified with medicines, vaccines or medical devices to the TGA.
Should you require further information regarding this matter, please contact Aspen on 1300 659 646 or your pharmacist at HPS Pharmacies.
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HPS Pharmacies wish to give notice that Aspen Pharmacare Australia is experiencing a supply interruption for the sterile theatre pack presentations of Xylocaine with Adrenaline vials, as follows:
| Product |
ARTG |
Anticipated availability |
| Xylocaine 2% Adrenaline 1:200,000 5X20mL (theatre pack) |
12021 |
February 2024 |
| Xylocaine 0.5% Adrenaline 1:200,000 5X20mL (theatre pack) |
12008 |
Long term out of stock |
All other Aspen local anaesthetic products are available.
Retain this notice in a prominent position, including in other related business units until supplies return to normal. Report any problems identified with medicines, vaccines or medical devices to the TGA.
Should you require further information regarding this matter, please contact your pharmacist at HPS Pharmacies, or Aspen Pharmacare Australia on 1300 659 646.
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Further to DrugAlert volume 900, HPS Pharmacies wish to give notice that InterPharma, in consultation with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has provided an update on Sodium Chloride 0.9% 10mL irrigation Solution.
A causal link between the reported Ralstonia cases and use of the 10mL ampoules has not been established. The TGA advises that the 10mL ampoules may be immediately removed from quarantine and used as normal.
Please note that all batches of InterPharma Sodium Chloride 0.9% 30mL ampoules remain subject to a recall notice and must not be used.
Retain this notice in a prominent position, including in other related business units for one month. Report any problems identified with medicines, vaccines or medical devices to the TGA.
Should you require further information regarding this matter, please contact InterPharma on 1300 308 213 or your pharmacist at HPS Pharmacies.
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Further to DrugAlert volume 899, HPS Pharmacies wish to give notice that InterPharma, in consultation with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has initiated an urgent recall of all batches of Sodium Chloride 0.9% 30mL irrigation Solution.
This recall has been initiated due to possible contamination with Ralstonia pickettii, a bacteria that can cause infection in people with a weakened immune system.
The products currently affected by this issue are shown below.
InterPharma Sodium Chloride 0.9% 30mL ampoules: (Recall)
InterPharma Sodium Chloride 0.9% 10mL ampoules: (Quarantine)
- 2304400
- 2301530
- 2301531
- 2207874
Please inspect your stock and quarantine all affected products. If HPS Pharmacies provide imprest management services to your facility, an HPS representative will inspect all stock stored in the designated imprest areas at the earliest opportunity. All affected products will be quarantined, and HPS Pharmacies will arrange for replacement stock as soon as possible. An HPS Pharmacies staff member will contact senior medical and nursing staff if there is an immediate impact to your facility.
Retain this notice in a prominent position, including in other related business units for one month. Report any problems identified with medicines, vaccines or medical devices to the TGA.
Should you require further information regarding this matter, please contact InterPharma on 1300 308 213 or your pharmacist at HPS Pharmacies.
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Further to DrugAlert volume 898, HPS Pharmacies wish to give notice that InterPharma has extended the quarantine to include all batches of Sodium Chloride 0.9% 30mL irrigation Solution. The batches currently affected by this quarantine are shown below.
InterPharma Sodium Chloride 0.9% 10mL ampoules:
- 2304400
- 2301530
- 2301531
- 2207874
InterPharma Sodium Chloride 0.9% 30mL ampoules:
InterPharma advise that alternative options for the 30mL irrigation solution include unaffected batches of Sodium Chloride 0.9% for Injection ampoules (10mL or 20mL) or Sodium Chloride 0.9% Irrigation sachets (30mL).
This urgent product quarantine has been initiated owing to possible contamination with Ralstonia pickettii. Whilst this has not yet been confirmed, as a precaution, products from the affected batches should be removed from use immediately and quarantined until further notice.
Please inspect your stock and quarantine all affected products. If HPS Pharmacies provide imprest management services to your facility, an HPS representative will inspect all stock stored in the designated imprest areas at the earliest opportunity. All affected products will be quarantined, and HPS Pharmacies will arrange for replacement stock as soon as possible. An HPS Pharmacies staff member will contact senior medical and nursing staff if there is an immediate impact to your facility.
Retain this notice in a prominent position, including in other related business units for one month. Report any problems identified with medicines, vaccines or medical devices to the TGA.
Should you require further information regarding this matter, please contact InterPharma on 1300 308 213 or your pharmacist at HPS Pharmacies.
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HPS Pharmacies wish to give notice that InterPharma, in consultation with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has initiated a drug quarantine for the 10mL and 30mL presentations of InterPharma Sodium Chloride 0.9% ampoules:
The following batches of 10mL ampoules are affected:
- 2304400
- 2301530
- 2301531
- 2207874
The following batches of 30mL ampoules are affected:
- 2386043E
- 2386048E
- 2386051E
- 2286030E
This urgent product quarantine has been initiated owing to possible contamination with Ralstonia pickettii. This is due to reported cases of R. pickettii in multiple jurisdictions. Whilst this has not yet been confirmed, as a precaution, products from the affected batches should be removed from use immediately and quarantined until further notice.
Please inspect your stock and quarantine all affected products. If HPS Pharmacies provide imprest management services to your facility, an HPS representative will inspect all stock stored in the designated imprest areas at the earliest opportunity. All affected products will be quarantined, and HPS Pharmacies will arrange for replacement stock as soon as possible. An HPS Pharmacies staff member will contact senior medical and nursing staff if there is an immediate impact to your facility.
Retain this notice in a prominent position, including in other related business units for one month. Report any problems identified with medicines, vaccines or medical devices to the TGA.
Should you require further information regarding this matter, please contact InterPharma on 1300 308 213 or your pharmacist at HPS Pharmacies.
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HPS Pharmacies wish to give notice that Sandoz, in consultation with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), has initiated a drug recall for Lisinopril Sandoz 20mg tablets as follows:
Lisinopril Sandoz
Lisinopril 20ng
ARTG 158108
The only batch affected by this drug recall is: KF6307 (Exp: August 2024)
This drug recall was initiated following the detection of N-nitroso-lisinopril (NLP) in above acceptable limits.
Please inspect your stock and quarantine all affected products. If HPS Pharmacies provide imprest management services to your facility, an HPS representative will inspect all stock stored in the designated imprest areas at the earliest opportunity. All affected products will be quarantined for return to the supplier, and HPS Pharmacies will arrange for replacement stock as soon as possible. An HPS Pharmacies staff member will contact senior medical and nursing staff if there is an immediate impact to your facility.
Retain this notice in a prominent position, including in other related business units for one month. Report any problems identified with medicines, vaccines or medical devices to the TGA.
Should you require further information regarding this matter, please contact Sandoz on 1800 726 369 or your pharmacist at HPS Pharmacies.
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HPS Pharmacies wish to advise that Mundipharma is discontinuing the following opioid products:
- OxyNorm® (oxycodone) capsules;
- MS Mono® (morphine sulfate) modified-release capsules; and
- Sevredol® (morphine sulfate) tablets
Mundipharma has provided the following estimated dates of discontinuation from the market based on current demand.
| Product |
ARTG |
Estimated discontinuation date |
| OxyNorm® 5mg |
74145 |
March 2025 |
| OxyNorm® 10mg |
74143 |
June 2024 |
| OxyNorm® 20mg |
74141 |
March 2025 |
| MS Mono® 30mg |
74156 |
September 2024 |
| MS Mono® 60mg |
74154 |
October 2024 |
| MS Mono® 90mg |
74152 |
August 2024 |
| MS Mono® 120mg |
74150 |
September 2024 |
| Sevredol® 10mg |
47543 |
July 2024 |
| Sevredol® 20mg |
214089 |
April 2024 |
These dates are estimates only and may be updated on the Medicine shortage reports database if there are any changes in demand.
Retain this notice in a prominent position, including in other related business units for at least one month. Report any problems identified with medicines, vaccines or medical devices to the TGA.
Should you require further information regarding this matter, please contact Mundipharma on 1800 188 009 or your pharmacist at HPS Pharmacies.
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