Availability of Phenobarbital in Ontario

UPDATED NEWS RELEASE
7 February 2002

Recent telephone interviews about the availability of phenobarbital revealed that:

• "Certified" brand phenobarbital tablets
  (produced by Vita Health, distributed by Medis)
  are now in stock in 30 mg and 60 mg tablets.
   
• The projected date of availability for the product from Drug Trading Company is
  the end of April 2002.
   
• Phenobarbital is also available as BarbilixirŽ (DIN 00588180), a liquid (4 mg/mL).

  You may want to advise your pharmacist and physician.

 
 

Background

Phenobarbital will continue to be manufactured in Canada by the Drug Trading Company Limited of Markham, Ontario and by Vita Health Company of Winnipeg, Manitoba (formerly Stanley Pharmaceuticals Limited of Vancouver, British Columbia).

As was reported in Summer 2001 issue of Sharing (vol. 17#3), Parke-Davis has discontinued manufacturing the barbiturate.

In November 2001, a representative of Pfizer said in a telephone conversation that Parke-Davis notified the public on 27 November 2000 that the company would discontinue the manufacture of phenobarbital in December 2000.

The Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group, which includes Parke-Davis, manufactures other anti-seizure medications including ethosuximide (ZarontinŽ), gabapentin (NeurontinŽ), methsuximide (CelontinŽ) and phenytoin (DilantinŽ), as well as other drugs used to treat disorders of the central nervous system.

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Last Modified: 06/22/2006 08:50:02 AM