Phenelzine sulphate 15mg tablets to remain out of stock for foreseeable future

A new supply disruption alert for phenelzine sulphate 15mg tablets (Nardil) has been issued without a confirmed resupply date.

Earlier, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England and Improvement (NHSE&I) had issued a supply disruption alert for phenelzine sulphate 15mg tablets with an expected resupply by the end of next year.

As supplies of licensed antidepressant will be unavailable for the foreseeable future, healthcare professionals have been adviced to take the following steps:

• no new patients should be initiated on phenelzine
• all patients currently prescribed phenelzine should be reviewed by specialist mental health services to determine if this is still the most appropriate treatment and whether gradual withdrawal in order to stop and switch to an alternative agent is a potential management option, and
• where unlicensed imports of phenelzine 15mg tablets are unavailable, clinicians should consider prescribing specials of phenelzine 15mg capsules to avoid abrupt withdrawal.

The following specialist importers may be able to source unlicensed phenelzine 15mg tablets 

The companies which are able to supply unlicensed phenelzine 15mg capsule specials

(Credit: PSNC)

Phenelzine is an irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) licensed for the treatment of depression, clinically characterised as ‘atypical’, ‘non endogenous’, ‘neurotic’ or which has not responded to treatment with other antidepressants.

Kyowa Kirin are the sole supplier of the antidepressant in the UK. They have experienced ongoing manufacturing issues since last year.

The resupply date was initially outlined as October 2019, which was delayed to March 2020 and later it had been advised to be the end of 2021.