{"id":912081,"date":"2026-10-01T09:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/912081\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T09:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T09:32:10","slug":"major-change-for-users-of-diltiazem-360-mg-controlled-release-capsules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/912081\/","title":{"rendered":"Major change for users of diltiazem 360 mg controlled-release capsules"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A widely used heart medication is facing a supply change in Australia, with its 360 mg controlled-release capsule products being discontinued over manufacturing issues.<\/p>\n<p>The Therapeutic Goods Administration said Sanofi-Aventis Australia was withdrawing both Cardizem CD 360 mg and Vasocardol CD 360 mg.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe understand the news of this discontinuation may cause concern for people who use diltiazem 360 mg controlled-release capsules,\u201d the TGA said.<\/p>\n<p>Diltiazem is used to treat high blood pressure and chronic stable angina.<\/p>\n<p>The heart medication Cardizem CD 360 mg has been unavailable since June.<\/p>\n<p>Vasocardol CD 360 mg will be discontinued from November 1, with reduced supply expected until remaining stock runs out.<\/p>\n<p>The TGA has introduced a \u201cSerious Scarcity Substitution Instrument\u201d to keep patients on treatment.<\/p>\n<p>For the next 12 months, pharmacists can honour existing 360 mg prescriptions with two 180 mg controlled-release capsules without requiring a new prescription.<\/p>\n<p>The changes took effect on October 1 and will remain in place for 12 months.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe hope this SSSI will give patients enough time to arrange ongoing treatment changes with the health care professional who prescribes their medicine,\u201d the TGA said.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said the shortage system is designed to give the regulator early warning of potential supply problems.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPharmaceutical companies are obligated to notify the TGA about current and anticipated supply disruptions of prescription and certain non-prescription medicines, including discontinuations,\u201d the department said to News24.com.au.<\/p>\n<p>Heart Foundation chief medical adviser Professor Garry Jennings stressed the wider drug would remain available despite the 360 mg dose being withdrawn.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe note from the TGA\u2019s advice that diltiazem SR 180mg and 240 mg will still be readily available for patients who need this drug,\u201d Professor Jennings said to News24.com.au.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe TGA has granted pharmacists permission for the next 12 months to dispense 360mg of diltiazem SR using 180mg SR tablets without requiring a new script.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Patients have been urged to speak with their pharmacist or prescriber about longer-term treatment arrangements.<\/p>\n<p>Read related topics:<a class=\"topic_tag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.news24.com.au\/topics\/health-and-beauty\" data-tgev-container=\"story-topic-links\" data-tgev-label=\"Health and Beauty\" data-tgev-order=\"1\" data-tgev-metric=\"npv\" data-tgev=\"event10\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Health and Beauty<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A widely used heart medication is facing a supply change in Australia, with its 360 mg controlled-release capsule&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":912082,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[471330,22956,479592,479626,479613,479606,479608,479594,479582,479590,479597,64,63,9461,479610,479603,479604,22710,479619,479599,479607,479616,479601,479581,254535,479600,479596,179106,226736,349933,479588,137,479585,479584,10148,10153,479612,479615,19433,479624,175561,479583,490,1679,621,428705,150443,100367,479589,10557,1861,59235,111444,4334,11687,479591,20246,5948,479605,479595,37977,479580,479622,323221,479587,17201,64188,376752,479618,479621,384090,389955,479598,479627,376754,426761,402860,479602,411388,441718,479609,479620,479623,479593,479625,479617,2284,479611,479586,92241,479614],"class_list":["post-912081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-s-advice","tag-12-months","tag-180mg-sr-tablets","tag-360-mg","tag-360mg","tag-a-serious-scarcity-substitution-instrument","tag-a-new-prescription","tag-a-new-script","tag-a-supply-change","tag-a-widely-used-heart-medication","tag-alternative-treatment-arrangements","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australians","tag-both-cardizem-cd-360-mg","tag-certain-non-prescription-medicines","tag-chronic-stable-angina","tag-concern","tag-controlled-release-capsules","tag-current-and-anticipated-supply-disruptions","tag-dilitiazem","tag-diltiazem-360-mg-controlled-release-capsules","tag-diltiazem-sr","tag-diltiazem-sr-180mg-and-240-mg","tag-disability-and-ageing","tag-discontinuation","tag-discontinuations","tag-early-warning","tag-effect","tag-enough-time","tag-existing-360-mg-prescriptions","tag-health","tag-heart-foundation-chief-medical-adviser-professor-garry-jennings","tag-heart-medicine-shortage","tag-high-blood-pressure","tag-hypertension","tag-istock-diltiazem","tag-its-360-mg-controlled-release-capsule-products","tag-june","tag-longer-term-treatment-arrangements","tag-major-change","tag-manufacturing-issues","tag-medication","tag-medicine","tag-national","tag-news24-com-au","tag-november-1","tag-october-1","tag-ongoing-treatment-changes","tag-patients","tag-people","tag-pharmaceutical-companies","tag-pharmaceutical-industry","tag-pharmaceuticals","tag-pharmacists","tag-pharmacists-permission","tag-picture","tag-place","tag-popular-heart-medication","tag-potential-supply-problems","tag-prescription","tag-professor-jennings","tag-reduced-supply","tag-remaining-stock","tag-sanofi-aventis-australia","tag-shortage","tag-shortages","tag-snapp-breaking-or-general-news","tag-substitions-for-dilitiazem-360mg","tag-the-360-mg-dose","tag-the-changes","tag-the-department","tag-the-health-care-professional","tag-the-heart-medication-cardizem-cd-360-mg","tag-the-news","tag-the-next-12-months","tag-the-regulator","tag-the-shortage-system","tag-the-tga","tag-the-therapeutic-goods-administration","tag-the-wider-drug","tag-their-medicine","tag-their-pharmacist-or-prescriber","tag-this-discontinuation","tag-this-drug","tag-this-sssi","tag-treatment","tag-two-180-mg-controlled-release-capsules","tag-two-brands","tag-users","tag-vasocardol-cd-360-mg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/912081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=912081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/912081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/912082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=912081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=912081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=912081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}