Xenical and Orlistat stock update – May 2012

By : Abbie | Published : Friday May 18, 2012 | Posted in : Weight Loss | Comments (3)

In February the PSNC (Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee) issued a notice saying that Xenical, also known as Orlistat would be out of stock or low in stock during the course of February and March. This affected most pharmacies, not just online clinics like us, which was why we were happy to announce that were able to offer some of our patients Xenical as well as Orlistat by mid March.

However, almost two months later, stock issues are still being reported and pharmacies have been advised to contact the manufacturer Roche, directly if they wholesalers are unable to provide them with a supply of treatment. Still, not much is known about what exactly is causing the stock flow problems. Roche issued a statement confirming that manufacturer issues are mainly to blame, which they are in the process of fixing.

It’s not entirely clear what these ‘manufacturing issues’ are, but there have been reports that it’s due to problems relating to Good Manufacturing Practices in one of their US plants, although we do not know exactly what the practices were in question. What we can say however is that it’s only affecting two or Roche’s products, including Xenical and not any of the other medications they manufacture.

Although there is currently no date available for when Orlistat and Xenical stocks will be completely replenished, the manufacturers of Alli, the over-the-counter weight loss treatment that also contains Orlistat, has said on their Facebook page that the treatment is expected to be back in stock by the end of June. According to other sources, for Xenical and Orlistat, this date looks more likely to be September.

At OnlineClinic we are still able to provide patients with Xenical. However, stocks are limited. So if you aren’t able to get your treatment straight away, it’s recommended that you stick to your diet and exercise as usual and limit your fat intake. We’ll try and keep you posted as best we can on the latest development on the subject, but should you have any questions, please post your comments on the blog or contact our patient team directly and we’ll do what we can to help.

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