The disulfiram shortage came about because of a “change in the manufacturing process and test methods”, Teva said. It confirmed on Friday (February 17) that there is "no disulfiram left in the UK supply chain".

The manufacturer said that the change was “initiated” by generics company Actavis, which Teva acquired last year.

“It is taking a bit longer than we anticipated to secure all the approvals necessary to start manufacture again,” Teva said.

The manufacturer stressed it was “working closely” with the Department of Health (DH) to bring the medicine back and said it hoped to resume supply in April 2017.

The DH came under fire in 2013 for its slow response to pharmacists' complaints of repeated stock shortages, including disulfiram.

For medical information enquiries, contact Teva UK Limited on 0207 540 7117 or e-mail [email protected].