The sole manufacturer of the antidepressant phenelzine sulphate 15mg (Nardil®), Kyowa Kirin, will be out of stock until the ‘end of 2021, at the earliest’.

Supply issues for the drug began in August 2019. The resupply date was confirmed to be October 2019. However, this was delayed to March 2020 and now that date has been pushed back to 2021.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) updated the supply disruption alert last week to say that ‘there is currently no confirmed resupply date’ for the drug.

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) has published advice for advice on how healthcare professionals can manage patients affected by the shortage.

The organisation noted a list of unlicensed suppliers of phenelzine 15 mg capsule specials that have become available.

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 otherwise responded to treatment with other antidepressants.