This medication, indicated for the treatment of high blood pressure, is currently in short supply in pharmacies. The 50,000 French people who take this medication must consult their doctor.
This is news that chronic hypertensive patients would have done well without. After the out of stock of a treatment against seasonal allergies, a drug indicated in the treatment of high blood pressure is currently the subject of “supply tensions” in French pharmacies since April 16. The volume of patients concerned in France is estimated at around 50,000 according to prescription and market data (HAS/IQVIA).
It was the laboratory, in agreement with the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM), which reported this shortage in a letter without specifying the cause. The normal delivery date is currently “undetermined”. This lack of visibility forces healthcare professionals to urgently review care protocols for the patients concerned.
This major supply tension concerns precisely Nitrendipine, a drug marketed by the Viatris Santé laboratory, only available by prescription. Three presentations are affected by these supply difficulties:
- Nitrendipine Viatris® 10 mg, box of 30 film-coated tablets (CIP 34009 373 009 3 3)
- Nitrendipine Viatris® 20 mg, box of 30 film-coated tablets (CIP 34009 372 428 2 0)
- Nitrendipine Viatris® 20 mg, box of 90 film-coated tablets (CIP 34009 372 430 7 0)
Faced with this lack of a transitional solution, the instruction for patients is not to interrupt their treatment without medical advice. Suddenly stopping an antihypertensive medication can cause a “rebound effect” that is dangerous for the heart. If your pharmacist informs you of the unavailability of the product, it is imperative to contact your doctor. The latter must carry out an individual therapeutic adaptation, prescribing an appropriate alternative, the effectiveness and tolerance of which he must then monitor during your follow-up.
Pharmacists are mobilized to guide users and ensure liaison with prescribing doctors “by all possible means” in the event of a total stock shortage in pharmacies. For any technical or medical questions, the laboratory information department can be reached at 0 800 123 550, and the authorities remind you of the importance of reporting any adverse effects linked to a change in treatment via the national reporting portal: https://signalement.social-sante.gouv.fr.
Nitrendipine is a vasodilator that belongs to the family of calcium channel blockers (also called calcium antagonists). It works by blocking the entry of calcium into the muscle cells in the artery walls. Normally, calcium promotes muscle contraction. By blocking this process, nitrendipine pcauses a relaxation of the arteries (vasodilation), rreduces the resistance to the passage of blood and therefore leads to a reduction in blood pressure.
