The Hindu Business Line : Painkiller shortage in UK keeps Wockhardt busy on X'mas

Following the reported shortage of painkiller Diamorphine in the UK, Wockhardt (one of the suppliers of the drug) has initiated efforts to shore-up its supplies of the medicine.

According to news reports in the UK, the Government had cautioned doctors on a likely shortage of diamorphine. The Government had in fact urged doctors to save on stocks of the painkiller and limit its use to emergency cases, the reports said.

Chiron and Wockhardt UK are two key producers of the drug in the UK market and news reports indicated that Chiron was likely to have more supplies in place only by March.

Meanwhile, Wockhardt UK said that it was liaising with the UK's Department of Health (DoH) and PASA (Purchasing Authority). Further, it added that it was trying to maximise supplies from its facility in the UK to minimise the shortfall in supply.

"The availability of Diamorphine Injection in the UK has become critical because of the disruption of supplies from the major supplier, who accounted for approximately 70 per cent of the supplies in UK," Wockhardt's note said.

Further, it added, that some of its employees would be working through Christmas holidays to make stocks available. "The diamorphine situation is likely to impact the morphine injection requirements and Wockhardt UK is also working with the DoH to increase production and supply of this product," the company said. No information was available on how big the painkiller business is for Wockhardt in the UK.

Diamorphine is also referred to as pharmaceutical morphine and is used in the treatment of acute pain in segments such as cancer, intensive care units, accident and emergency treatments.

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