Medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK or hoarded
Published on: 13th November 2019 | Updated on: 21st May 2024
On 3rd October 2019 The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a list of medicines which must not be parallel exported from the UK. This action has been taken to ensure the continued supply of medicines to meet the needs of UK patients.
Latest update 21/05/2024 – The following 6 products have been added to the list:
- Azithromycin
- Carbamazepine 100mg/5ml oral suspension
- Clarithromycin
- Co-trimoxazole
- Erythromycin
- Pancreatin
DHSC and the MHRA have written to medicine manufacturers and wholesalers to remind them of their responsibilities to ensure the continued supply of medicines to meet the needs of UK patients. The letter also includes the list of medicinal products which “cannot be supplied for parallel export or parallel distribution from the UK or hoarded (held back)” for the time being.
The list (click here to access the list on the MHRA website), which will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, contains any product that meets the following criteria:
- the medicine is required to meet the needs of UK patients;
- the medicine is either being parallel exported or is at threat of being parallel exported; and
- the export of that medicine is either contributing to, or may contribute to, a shortage of that medicine in the UK.
Read the DHSC/MHRA letter to holders of a wholesale dealer licence
Any manufacturer or wholesaler found parallel exporting one or more of these medicines could face the immediate suspension of their wholesaler dealer licence.
All updates
19 February 2024
The following 6 products have been added to the list
- Azithromycin
- Carbamazepine 100mg/5ml oral suspension
- Clarithromycin
- Co-trimoxazole
- Erythromycin
- Pancreatin
8 May 2024
The following products have been added, removed and amended to the list:
Added
- Tirzepatide
Removed
- Alfentanil
- Amoxicillin
- Argipressin
- Azithromycin
- Ceftriaxone,
- Clarithromycin
- Clonidine
- Co-amoxiclav
- Codeine
- Conjugated oestrogens and medroxyprogesterone acetate
- Dalteparin
- Diamorphine
- Erythromycin
- Estradiol + Levonorgestrel
- Estriol
- Flucloxacillin
- Gentamicin
- Haloperidol
- Insulin degludec + Liraglutide
- Ketamine
- Levofloxacin
- Lorazepam
- Metaraminol
- Nadolol
- Noradrenaline
- Pantoprazole
- Phenoxymethylpenicillin
- Potassium chloride / Potassium bicarbonate
- Progesterone
- Propofol
- Remifentanil
- Rocuronium
- Tinzaparin
- Voriconazole
Amended
- Exenatide (pharmaceutical form)
20 March 2024
The following 2 products have been added to the list:
- Vinblastine 10mg/10ml solution for injection vials
- Aztreonam powder for solution for injection vials
24 April 2024
The following product has been added to the list:
- Vitamin B substances with ascorbic acid.
19 February 2024
The following product has been added to the list:
- Salbutamol nebuliser liquid unit dose vials
30 January 2024
The following 5 products have been added to the list:
- Iodixanol solution for injection
- Iohexol solution for injection
- Nadolol 80mg tablets
- Potassium chloride / Potassium bicarbonate effervescent tablets
- Sodium dihydrogen phosphate anhydrous effervescent tablets
4 December 2023
The following product has been added to the list:
- Olanzapine embonate powder and solvent for suspension for injection
9 October 2023
The following 7 products have been added to the list:
- Atomoxetine all forms
- Bumetanide all tablets
- Dexamfetamine sulfate all forms
- Guanfacine all forms
- Hyoscine hydrobromide 1.5mg patches
- Lisdexamfetamine mesylate all forms
- Methylphenidate hydrochloride all forms
30 September 2023
The following 5 products have been added to the list:
- Bupivacaine + Fentanyl 312.5mg/250ml (0.125%) + 500micrograms/250ml, 625mg/500ml (0.125%) + 1mg/500ml solution for infusion
- Diamorphine, all solution for injection
- Human corticotrophin releasing hormone (hCRH) (Unlicenced) all
- Ketamine all solution for injection
- Levobupivacaine all infusion
26 August 2023
The following product has been added to the list:
- Permethrin 5% Cream
16 June 2023
The following 5 products have been added to the list:
- Semaglutide, all strengths, tablets;
- Dulaglutide, all strengths, solution for injection;
- Exenatide, all strengths, solution for injection;
- Liraglutide, 6mg/ml, solution for injection;
- Insulin degludec + Liraglutide, 100units/ml + 3.6mg/ml, solution for injection.
24 May 2023
The following product has been added to the list:
- Progesterone, 100mg oral capsules
28 April 2023
The following 2 products have been added to the list:
- Glucagon: all strengths; powder for injection, solution for injection.
24 February 2023
The following 2 products have been added to the list:
- Nirmatrelvir and ritonavir
- Molnupiravir
20 December 2022
Three medicines have been added to the list:
- Flucloxacillin
- Oseltamivir
- Zanamivir.
15 December 2022
Further presentations of 2 medicines have been added to the list:
- Amoxicillin oral suspension and oral solution
- Phenoxymethylpenicillin (Penicillin V) oral suspension and oral solution.
13 December 2022
Ten medicines have been removed from the list of medicines intended for the UK market that cannot be exported from the UK. They are:
- Anakinra
- Budesonide
- Calcium chloride
- Colestyramine
- Dexmedetomidine
- Epoprostenol
- Milrinone
- Rifampicin
- Rivaroxaban
- Salbutamol
Insulin human has been removed as this is the same product as insulin soluble human.
A further 4 products have been added to the list. These are:
- Amoxicillin
- Cefalexin
- Phenoxymethylpenicillin (Penicillin V)
- Azithromycin oral suspension.
17 November 2022
Added semaglutide to the list.
4 August 2022
Two medicines have been added to the list:
- Alteplase
- Tenecteplase.
24 June 2022
32 medicines have been removed from the list of medicines intended for the UK market that cannot be exported from the UK. They are:
- Albumin human
- Adrenaline
- Amikacin
- Amoxicillin
- Anidulafungin
- Bupropion
- Caspofungin
- Cefalexin
- Ceftazidime + Avibactam
- Dabigatran etexilate
- Dapagliflozin
- Dobutamine
- Esmolol
- Flucloxacillin
- Glyceryl trinitrate
- Granisetron
- Ketamine
- Lansoprazole
- Magnesium Sulfate
- Metoclopramide
- Micafungin
- Morphine
- Ondansetron
- Potassium bicarbonate + Potassium chloride
- Potassium chloride + Glucose + Sodium chloride
- Potassium chloride + Sodium chloride
- Ranitidine
- Ruxolitinib
- Sodium chloride
- Sodium dihydrogen phosphate
- Sodium lactate and Terlipressin.
Two medicines have been added to the list:
- Conjugated oestrogens
- medroxyprogesterone acetate and Estriol.
15 December 2021
Updated the list to include one missing product:
- Amiodarone – solution for injection.
15 December 2021
Updated list of medicines to reflect that 47 medicines have been removed from the list:
- Aclidinium bromide
- Aclidinium bromide + Formoterol
- Amiodarone
- Bambuterol
- Beclometasone + Formoterol
- Beclometasone + Formoterol + Glycopyrronium bromide
- Benralizumab
- Ciclesonide
- Edoxaban
- Exenatide
- Fluticasone + Formoterol
- Fluticasone + Salmeterol
- Fluticasone + Umeclidinium bromide + Vilanterol
- Fluticasone + Vilanterol
- Formoterol
- Insulin aspart
- Insulin aspart biphasic
- Insulin degludec
- Insulin degludec + Liraglutide
- Insulin detemir
- Insulin glargine
- Insulin glargine + Lixisenatide
- Insulin glulisine
- Insulin isophane biphasic human
- Insulin isophane biphasic porcine
- Insulin isophane bovine
- Insulin isophane human
- Insulin isophane porcine
- Insulin lispro
- Insulin lispro biphasic
- Insulin mixed bovine
- Insulin protamine zinc bovine
- Insulin soluble bovine
- Insulin soluble porcine
- Insulin zinc crystalline human
- Insulin zinc mixed human
- Lithium carbonate
- Lopinavir + Ritonavir
- Mesalazine
- Norethisterone
- Oseltamivir
- Pneumococcal vaccine
- Roflumilast
- Semaglutide
- Ticagrelor
- Tiotropium
- Tiotropium + Olodaterol.
Bupropion tablets added to the restricted export list.
3 August 2021
Updated list of medicines to supplement the previous update of 30 October 2020. The new, shorter list comes into effect on 3 August 2021. 30 medicines have been removed from the list of medicines intended for the UK market that cannot be exported from the UK. They are:
- Atenolol
- Beclometasone
- Bisoprolol
- Budesonide + Formoterol
- Buprenorphine
- Buprenorphine
- Chloroquine phosphate
- Digoxin
- Estradiol + Norethisterone acetate
- Fluticasone
- Ondansetron
- Plasma-Lyte
- Salbutamol + Beclometasone
- Sodium chloride
- Granisetron
- Ibuprofen
- Ipratropium
- Labetalol
- Lisinopril
- Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate
- Metoprolol
- Mometasone
- Nedocromil
- Terbutaline
- Terbutaline
- Prednisolone
- Salbutamol + Ipratropium
- Salmeterol
- Sodium cromoglicate
- Sodium cromoglicate + Salbutamol.
22 December 2020
Updated details section to state that from 1 January 2021 you may no longer be able to export branded medicines that have been placed on the UK market to countries in the European Economic Area (EEA). You should check the guidance on changes to the exhaustion of Intellectual Property rights and parallel trade from 1 January 2021.
6 November 2020
Two medicines have been added to the list:
- dabigatran etexilate
- semaglutide.
The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 7 November 2020.
30 October 2020
Updated list of medicines to replace previous update from 30 October. The restriction start date is 31/10/2020 00:00.
27 medicines have been removed from the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK. They are:
27 medicines have been removed from the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK. They are:
- Alprostadil
- Azathioprine
- Colecalciferol + Calcium carbonate
- Conjugated oestrogens
- Conjugated oestrogens + Bazedoxifene
- Conjugated oestrogens + Medroxyprogesterone
- Dabigatran
- Doxycycline
- Enoxaparin
- Estradiol + Dydrogesterone
- Estradiol + Medroxyprogesterone
- Estradiol + Norgestrel
- Estriol
- Furosemide
- Hepatitis A + B vaccine
- Hydroxychloroquine
- Levonorgestrel
- Measles + Mumps + Rubella vaccine
- Medroxyprogesterone
- Meropenem
- Misoprostol
- Omeprazole
- Ospemifene
- Prazosin
- Progesterone
- Teicoplanin
- Tibolone.
2 medicines have been added to the list:
- Influenza vaccine
- Anakinra.
The pharmaceutical forms for Co-trimoxazole and Hydrocortisone have been updated.
30 October 2020
27 medicines have been removed from the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK. They are:
- Alprostadil
- Azathioprine
- Colecalciferol + Calcium carbonate
- Conjugated oestrogens
- Conjugated oestrogens + Bazedoxifene
- Conjugated oestrogens + Medroxyprogesterone
- Dabigatran
- Doxycycline
- Enoxaparin
- Estradiol + Dydrogesterone
- Estradiol + Medroxyprogesterone
- Estradiol + Norgestrel
- Estriol
- Furosemide
- Hepatitis A + B vaccine
- Hydroxychloroquine
- Levonorgestrel
- Measles + Mumps + Rubella vaccine
- Medroxyprogesterone
- Meropenem
- Misoprostol
- Omeprazole
- Ospemifene
- Prazosin
- Progesterone
- Teicoplanin
- Tibolone.
2 medicines have been added to the list:
- Influenza vaccine
- Anakinra.
The pharmaceutical forms for Co-trimoxazole and Hydrocortisone have been updated.
7 September 2020
Lithium carbonate has been added to the list of medicines.
15 June 2020
Two pharmaceutical forms of dexamethasone (oral solution and solution for injection) have been added to the list of medicines. The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 16 June 2020.
23 April 2020
33 medicines have been added to the parallel export list and the pharmaceutical forms of 5 medicines have also been updated.
- Aclidinium bromide
- Aclidinium bromide + Formoterol
- Atenolol
- Azithromycin
- Bambuterol
- Benralizumab
- Bisoprolol
- Buprenorphine
- Ceftazidime + Avibactam
- Cyclizine
- Dabigatran etexilate
- Dapagliflozin
- Dexamethasone
- Digoxin
- Exenatide
- Glycopyrronium bromide
- Haloperidol
- Hyoscine butylbromide
- Ibuprofen
- Labetalol
- Lisinopril
- Metaramino
- Metoprolol
- Pantoprazole
- Roflumilast
- Ruxolitinib
- Sarilumab
- Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate
- Ticagrelor
- Tiotropium
- Tiotropium + Olodaterol and Tocilizumab.
15 April 2020
The date of restriction for updates made on 3 April 2020 has been amended.
3 April 2020
Discrepancies between ‘strength’ and ‘pharmaceutical form’ have been corrected in the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK.
31 March 2020
52 medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK, these are:
- Cefalexin
- Codeine
- Co-trimoxazole
- Diamorphine
- Doxycycline
- Ipratropium
- Salbutamol
- Prochlorperazine
- Salbutamol + Beclometasone
- Salbutamol + Ipratropium Terbutaline,
- Beclometasone
- Beclometasone + Formoterol
- Beclometasone + Formoterol + Glycopyrronium bromide
- Budesonide
- Budesonide + Formoterol
- Fluticasone
- Fluticasone + Formoterol
- Fluticasone + Salmeterol
- Fluticasone + Umeclidinium bromide + Vilanterol
- Fluticasone + Vilanterol
- Ciclesonide
- Mometasone
- Salmeterol
- Formoterol
- Sodium cromoglicate
- Sodium cromoglicate + Salbutamol
- Nedocromil
- Edoxaban
- Midazolam
- Buprenorphine
- Levomepromazine
- Mesalazine
- Colecalciferol + Calcium carbonate
- Insulin aspart
- Insulin aspart biphasic
- Insulin degludec
- Insulin degludec + Liraglutide
- Insulin detemir
- Insulin glargine
- Insulin glargine + Lixisenatide
- Insulin glulisine
- Insulin human
- Insulin isophane biphasic human
- Insulin isophane biphasic porcine
- Insulin isophane bovine
- Insulin isophane human
- Insulin isophane porcine
- Insulin lispro
- Insulin lispro biphasic
- Insulin mixed bovine
- Insulin protamine zinc bovine
- Insulin soluble bovine
- Insulin soluble human
- Insulin soluble porcine
- Insulin zinc crystalline human
- Insulin zinc mixed human.
The pharmaceutical forms of several medicines have been updated to clarify which pharmaceutical forms are included in the restrictions.
25 March 2020
Several names of medicines have been updated to align with the NHS dictionary of medicines and devices. The pharmaceutical forms of several medicines have been updated to clarify which pharmaceutical forms are included in the restrictions. Duplications have been removed.
20 March 2020
82 medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK. The medicines added to the list are:
- Accusol 35
- Albumin
- Alfentanil
- Amikacin
- Amiodarone
- Amoxicillin
- Anidulafungin
- Argipressin
- Atracurium
- Calcium
- Caspofungin
- Ceftazidime
- Ceftriaxone
- Cefuroxime
- Cisatracurium
- Clarithromycin
- Clonidine
- Co-amoxiclav
- Cyclizine
- Dalteparin
- Dexmedetomidine
- Dobutamine
- Enoxaparin
- Epoprostenol
- Erythromycin
- Esmolol
- Esomeprazole
- Fentanyl
- Flucloxacillin
- Furosemide
- Plasma-Lyte
- Gentamicin
- Glyceryl trinitrate
- Granisetron
- Heparin sodium
- Hydrocortisone
- Hemolactol
- Hemosol B0
- Insulin
- Ketamine
- Lansoprazole
- Levofloxacin
- Linezolid
- Lorazepam
- Lactasol
- Magnesium
- Meropenem
- Metoclopramide
- Micafungin
- Midazolam
- Milrinone
- Morphine
- Morphine sulfate
- Monosul
- Noradrenaline
- Omeprazole
- Ondansetron
- Ondansetron
- Oxycodone
- Pantoprazole
- Paracetamol
- Piperacillin
- Potassium chloride
- Prednisolone
- Propofol
- Prismasol 4
- PrismOcal B22
- Prismocitrate 18/0
- Potassium chloride
- Ranitidine
- Remifentanil
- Rifampicin
- Rocuronium
- Sodium chloride
- Sodium dihydrogen phosphate
- Sodium lactate
- Suxamethonium
- Teicoplanin
- Terlipressin
- Tinzaparin
- Vancomycin
- Voriconazole.
The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 21 March 2020.
13 March 2020
One medicine has been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK:
- Hydroxychloroquine
The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 14 March 2020.
25 February 2020
Three medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK:
- Lopinavir + Ritonavir
- Chloroquine phosphate
- Azathioprine.
The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 26 February 2020.
3 January 2020
Inconsistencies in the naming of medicines have been addressed and names now follow the ‘Dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d)’. The restrictions are on the virtual therapeutic moiety (VTM) unless the actual medicinal product (AMP) is listed.
18 December 2019
One medicine has been removed from the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK:
- Alogliptin
4 December 2019
Two medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK:
- colestyramine sachets
- fluticasone propionate nasules.
13 November 2019
One medicine has been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK:
- hepatitis A and B vaccine.
The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 14 November 2019.
5 November 2019
Four medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK:
- alogliptin/metformin
- pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
- measles, mumps and rubella vaccine
- misoprostol.
The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 6 November 2019.
17 October 2019
Four medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK: alprostadil, beclometasone dipropionate, noresthisterone and ranitidine. The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 18 October 2019.
9 October 2019
The ‘Date of publication’ column has been removed from the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK. This is to avoid confusion with the ‘Date of restriction’ column
8 October 2019
A link to guidance on ‘Parallel export and hoarding of restricted medicines’ has been added to the details text.
3 October 2019
Added link to letter to holders of a wholesale dealer licence.
3 October 2019
First published.
For more information on this topic please email comms.team@cpe.org.uk
