Amiodarone 200mg tablets are out of stock until early August 2025, according to a medicine supply notification from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Amiodarone 100mg tablets remain available as an alternative and can support a limited increase in demand.
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Alternative antiarrhythmic agents also remain available.
The DHSC has advised pharmacy teams to refer to the Medicines Supply Tool for the latest information, including changes to resupply dates and further updates.
Any new shortages which are not listed on the Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS) website can be reported using Community Pharmacy England’s shortage reporting tool, located on their website.
This latest supply issue is one of many. Diclofenac eye drops, loop diuretic tablets, and chronic pain patches have all been hit by stock shortages in the past few weeks.
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These shortages come after MPs found that medicine shortages were a ‘systematic threat’ to care, placing a huge burden on pharmacy teams and disrupting the delivery of treatment across England.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group’s (APPG) inquiry into the issue revealed that these supply chain issues are now a routine occurrence with 84% of pharmacists and 75% of prescribers reporting daily shortages.
Steve Race MP, chair of the APPG on Pharmacy, said: ‘As government continues to recognise and invest in the expanded clinical role of community pharmacy, we must ensure the medicines supply chain underpinning that care is equally robust, resilient, and patient-focused.’
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A different report by Healthwatch England sought the views of 7,029 adults, with many reporting persistent problems with medicine supply. Almost one in four respondents said they had been unable to access the medication they needed in the past 12 months because their pharmacy had run out.
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