Update: GSK announced UK and EU resupply of Zyban (bupropion) for December 2023, see this blog post for more details

This blog post discusses the continued shortage of the antidepressant and smoking cessation medication Bupropion, also known as Zyban, due to nitrosamine impurities. Alex notes that GSK has not yet issued a recall order for Zyban, despite doing so for other medications with similar impurities, and that the brand name has been discontinued in the US. The FDA has determined that the US withdrawal was not due to safety reasons, and GSK has not given an estimated recovery date. The UK government is aware of the supply shortage, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is blocking imports into the UK. Alex expresses concern about the possibility of GSK withdrawing the product altogether, and the lack of transparency in the industry.

It has been just over eight months since GSK announced they were halting the supply of Bupropion (the brand name is “Zyban”) due to nitrosamine impurities. Since my previous blog post about the supply shortage, I have heard very little.

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