Daunorubicin: Hospital supply issue
Due to problems at the manufacturer, Pfizer will be out of stock of their daunorubicin powder product (Pharmacode: 2710986).
Affected product
Due to issues at the manufacturing plant, Pfizer will be out of stock of this product between February and April 2026.
- Presentation: Inj 18.7 mg vial
- Brand: Pfizer
- Pharmacode: 2710986
- Subsidy: $171.93
- Measure / Qty: per 1
Baxter also compounds this product and it is listed under Pharmacode: 2710978.
HML listing for daunorubicin(external link)
Community Schedule listing for daunorubicin(external link)
Alternative product
Pfizer has sourced an alternative product which is listed from 1 February 2026. This is also a powder for reconstitution but the vial is a different size.
This product is not Medsafe approved so needs to be prescribed and dispensed in line with section 29A of the Medicines Act.
- Presentation: Inj 20 mg vial
- Brand: Cerubidine
- Pharmacode: 2720922
- Subsidy: $171.93
- Measure / Qty: per 1
We have added a listing for the Baxter-compounded version of this product (Pharmacode: 2204193). We have alerted Baxter to this issue and the differences between the registered and alternative products.
Differences between the Pfizer and Cerubidine products
The Pfizer product is daunorubicin base 18.7 mg per vial. This s29 alternative product is 5 mg per ml, 4 ml vial (20 mg total) of daunorubicin base.
| Brand | Vial size | Strength | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pfizer | 9.35 ml | 2 mg/ml | 18.7 mg |
| Cerubidine | 4 ml | 5 mg/ml | 20 mg |
Each vial of Cerubidine contains daunorubicin base 20 mg and non-medicinal ingredient D-mannitol. After reconstitution with 4 mL of sterile water for injection, each ml of solution contains 5 mg of daunorubicin base.
Prescribing and supplying an unapproved medicine
Section 29A of the Medicines Act 1981 allows for medicines that are not Medsafe approved to be prescribed and supplied to people.
We know supplying an unapproved medicine. In this case, however, this will allow people to continue to access an appropriate treatment.
We apologise for any inconvenience this causes.
What patients need to know about unapproved medicines – Healthify website(external link)
Expected resupply April 2026
Pfizer expects its registered brand of daunorubicin to be available again by the end of April 2026.
Who to contact
If you have questions about this issue, email enquiry@pharmac.govt.nz
Please include as much information as you can about the product (presentation, brand, pharmacode) and who your wholesaler is.
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