The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said the supply instability of lorazepam injections, a critical medicine (withdrawal-prevention drug) for which shortage concerns were recently raised, will be resolved starting next month.
On the 25th, the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said it swiftly reviewed and on the 19th approved the item change license related to a change of manufacturer so that lorazepam injections can be supplied stably.
Lorazepam is a benzodiazepine-class medicine used as an injection to relieve acute anxiety and tension, provide sedation, and control convulsions. It is used in medical settings such as emergency rooms and intensive care units.
For 43 years, Ildong Pharmaceutical had supplied it, but as the production facilities reached the end of their life, making it difficult to continue manufacturing and producing lorazepam, the company reported the suspension of supply of the item to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety last year. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, after consultations with pharmaceutical companies, pursued a transfer and acquisition, and Samjin Pharmaceutical agreed to handle manufacturing and sales. The company completed production preparations and applied to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety for a change license.
According to the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, even after Samjin Pharmaceutical's lorazepam product is supplied to the market, the existing Ildong Pharmaceutical product will be distributed in parallel for a certain period, so the supply instability is expected to be largely resolved. An official at the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said, "We will continue to manage supply in cooperation with the pharmaceutical industry so that medicines essential for patient treatment can be supplied stably to medical sites."