Medicine Supply Notification: Sodium fusidate (Fucidin® ) 250mg tablets and fusidic acid (Fucidin® ) 250mg/5ml oral suspension

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a medicine supply notification for Sodium fusidate (Fucidin®) 250mg tablets and fusidic acid (Fucidin®) 250mg/5ml oral suspension

MSN/2024/107

Tier 2 medium impact

Date of issue: 7th October 2024

  • Sodium fusidate (Fucidin®) 250mg tablets will be discontinued from mid-January 2025.
  • Fusidic acid (Fucidin®) 250mg/5ml oral suspension will be discontinued from late June 2025.
  • If alternative antimicrobials are not considered suitable, specialist importers have sourced unlicensed products, lead times vary.

Unlicensed products

The following specialist importers have confirmed they can source unlicensed sodium fusidate 250mg tablets and fusidic acid 250mg/5ml oral suspension (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 the unlicensed product cannot be issued. Where a prescriber wishes to prescribe a specially manufactured or imported product, an FP10 paper prescription should be issued as ‘sodium fusidate 250mg tablets or fusidic acid 250mg/5ml oral suspension (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.

Learn more about how the plan is being developed, discover opportunities to have your say, and hear how Community Pharmacy England is responding on behalf of the sector.

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