Pfizer's glipizide (Minodiab) 5mg tablets are out of stock until mid-October 2021 due to increased demand, following the withdrawal of another glipizide 5mg tablet from the UK market.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has issued a medicine supply disruption alert for Glipizide (Minodiab) 5mg tablets.
"Prescribers will need to review all affected patients and assess ongoing need for glipizide. If ongoing treatment is required, consideration should be given to prescribing an alternative sulfonylurea or glucose lowering medication," said the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC).
It added, " Alternative glucose-lowering medications, including sulfonylureas, remain available. Patients with monogenic diabetes* (MODY) should remain on an equivalent dose of an alternative sulfonylurea. Unlicensed supplies of glipizide 5mg tablets have been sourced and may be considered where the above options are inappropriate."
Alium Medical, Mawdsley’s Unlicensed and Waymade PLC specialist importers have confirmed they can source unlicensed glipizide 5mg tablets.
Where a prescriber wishes to prescribe an unlicensed import, an FP10 paper prescription should be issued as ‘Glipizide 5mg tablets (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
