Further to our ongoing updates regarding the shortage of the medication Rivotril, we have been in further contact with the Health Products Regulatory Authority(HPRA) regarding this.
In what will be a relief for all those affected by the current shortage, it has been confirmed to us by the HPRA that delivery of supply has arrived as indicated in our last update. You can see an extract from the reply we received from the HPRA below:
We have received confirmation that the delivery was received yesterday afternoon. The wholesalers will need to perform quality checks on the stock that was received and update their ordering system. This can take a few days as such pharmacies should be able to start ordering the product toward the end of this week or early next week. From the information that was provided to us by the company we understand that this stock would be expected to last around 4 months, assuming normal supply. The company has also informed us that a further ~6 months of stock has been manufactured and is available for collection. We are confirming the next planned delivery dates.
As the stock is not yet available for pharmacies to order, we will keep the shortage listing on our website until we receive confirmation that the stock has been released for ordering.
While it is good news that the delivery has now been received, it will take a few days before pharmacies can order as the medication undergoes quality checks by the wholesaler. Provided there are no issues with quality checks, it should mean that pharmacies can begin ordering supply over the coming days, bringing an end to this long-standing shortage.
Should we receive any further information on this, we will update this article.
We would like to thank our colleagues in the HPRA for continuing to keep us informed on this matter and we hope that resupply will spell an end to what has been a very stressful time for all those affected.
For more information on medication shortages, see our resource on this by visiting the ‘Epilepsy Information’ section of our website.