Key Summary
- Three antiarrhythmic drugs will be out of stock at different stages over the coming months.
- They are propafenone (arythmol) 150mg tablets, disopyramide (rythmodan) 100mg capsules and disopyramide (rythmodan retard) 250mg.
- DHSC has suggested alternatives and precautions to be taken.
Three antiarrhythmic drugs will be out of stock at different stages over the coming months, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced in two medicine supply notifications.
In two separate Tier 2 (medium impact) notifications issued on June 22, DHSC announced that propafenone (arythmol) 150mg tablets, disopyramide (rythmodan) 100mg capsules and disopyramide (rythmodan retard) 250mg modified-release tablets will be affected by supply issues.
Disopyramide (Rythmodan) 100mg capsules will be in out of stock from late June 2026 until early April 2027.
Disopyramide (Rythmodan Retard) 250mg modified release (MR) tablets will be out of stock from late June until late July 2026 and can support a partial uplift in demand once available.
The imports of disopyramide 250mg MR tablets and disopyramide 100mg capsules are in limited supply and cannot support an uplift in demand.
Propafenone (Arythmol) 150mg tablets are out of stock until late July 2026. Propafenone (Arythmol) 300mg tablets remain available and can support a limited increase in demand.
However, DHSC said that they should not be halved to deliver a 150mg dose. Flecainide 50mg and 100mg tablets remain available to support the shift.
The medicine regulator has advised to take into account medical and treatment history, previous hypersensitivity and adverse reactions, and ensure patients are counseled on the appropriate dose.
All three affected medications are class 1c antiarrhythmic drugs used to prevent irregular heartbeats, such as atrial fibrillation, from recurring in patients who do not have structural heart disease.
As part of its guidance, the DHSC stated that clinicians should not initiate new patients on propafenone 150mg tablets until the supply issue has been fully resolved.
