Medicine Supply Notification: Dioralyte® oral rehydration sachets
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a medicine supply notification for Dioralyte® oral rehydration sachets.
MSN/2022/082
Tier 2 – medium impact
Date of issue 30th September 2022
- Dioralyte® oral rehydration sachets are expected to be in limited supply until late December 2022.
- Limited stock of Dioralyte® Relief oral powder sachets remain available but cannot support an uplift in demand.
- St Mark’s solution is available as an unlicensed special and can support an uplift in demand.
- Kidderminster formula is available as an unlicensed special and can support a partial uplift in demand.
- As an alternative to the unlicensed specials, the individual components* can be purchased from community pharmacies and supermarkets or prescribed, but there have been intermittent supply issues with glucose powder.
- Oral rehydration salts soluble tablets (O.R.S Hydration tablets®) (classified as food supplement) are available and can support an uplift in demand.
- Diluted apple juice has been reported to be a potential alternative to electrolyte maintenance fluids in children with mild gastroenteritis and minimal dehydration.
Guidance on ordering O.R.S Hydration tablets®
O.R.S Hydration tablets®, can be ordered from a number of national wholesalers including (please note there may be other wholesalers that can also source supplies)
Guidance on ordering and prescribing unlicensed imports
The following specialist importers have confirmed they can source St Mark’s solution (please note there may be other companies that can also source supplies):
If there is currently no listing on dm+d for the imported product for prescribers to select using their prescribing systems an EPS prescription for unlicensed St Mark’s solution cannot be issued. Where a prescriber wishes to prescribe an unlicensed import, an FP10 paper prescription should be issued as ‘ St Mark’s solution (Special Order)‘ and endorsed by the pharmacy as a non-Part VIIIB special with the following information:
- Amount dispensed over pack size used;
- Invoice price per pack size from which the order was supplied less any discount or rebate;
- Manufacturers’/importers’ MHRA licence number;
- Batch number of the product supplied;
- SP
A copy of this medicine supply notification, including further information, has been sent to all pharmacy NHS email addresses.
DHSC and NHSE/I have now launched an online Medicines Supply Tool, which provides up to date information about medicine supply issues. The contents of these MSNs can now be viewed on the Tool.
The Tool also details any changes to resupply dates and updates to the entries.
To access the Tool you will need an NHS email address. Once set up and logged in, you will be able to access it online.
New shortages not listed on the SPS website, can be reported using our shortage reporting tool.
