Medicine Supply Notification: Methylprednisolone acetate (Depo-Medrone® ) 40mg/ml vials and methylprednisolone acetate (Depo-Medrone® ) with lidocaine 1% 40mg/ml and 80mg/2ml vials
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a medicine supply notification for Methylprednisolone acetate (Depo-Medrone® ) 40mg/ml vials and methylprednisolone acetate (Depo Medrone®) with lidocaine 1% 40mg/ml and 80mg/2ml vials
MSN/2021/068
Tier 2 – medium impact
Date of issue 14th December 2021
- Depo-Medrone® 40mg/ml vials are out of stock until late February 2022
- Depo-Medrone® 80mg/2ml and 120mg/3ml vials remain available but cannot support an increase in
demand - Depo-Medrone® with lidocaine 1% 40mg/ml vials are out of stock until early February 2022;
80mg/2ml vials are out of stock from late December until late February 2022. - Lidocaine 1% injection remains available.
- Alternative licensed injectable steroids also remain available. Where these are not suitable,
unlicensed imports can be sourced, lead times vary
Unlicensed imports
The following specialist importers have confirmed they can source unlicensed methylprednisolone acetate
with/without lidocaine. Lead times may vary (please note, there may be other companies that can also source
supplies):
• Alium Medical – methylprednisolone 40mg/ml
• UL Global – methylprednisolone with lidocaine 40mg/ml and 80mg/2ml
A copy of this medicine supply notification has been sent to all pharmacy NHS email addresses.
The DHSC Medicine Supply Team provide a monthly update on potential supply issues affecting both primary and secondary care. This update is uploaded on the Specialist Pharmacy Services (SPS) website. To register, 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.
