The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have announced that all strengths of Lithium carbonate tablets have been added to the list of medicines which must not be parallel exported from the UK.

An initial 23 products were listed on October 4 last year, with more added and removed since.

All the products are at “high risk of parallel export”, due to their prices increasing in EU countries, the DH told C+D in October.

By restricting wholesalers from exporting these products, the DH hopes “to tackle ongoing shortages and minimise the impact on patients”, it also said.

The list (below) will be updated with each product that the DH subjects to export restrictions, and applies to all medicines containing the active ingredients, whether generic or branded.