Guidance

Medicines that you cannot export from the UK or hoard

Sets out medicines that cannot be exported from the UK or hoarded because they are needed for UK patients.

Documents

Details

This document lists the medicines that cannot be exported from the UK or hoarded. The list is updated regularly.

The government has produced guidance on export and hoarding of restricted medicines.

In October 2019, a letter to holders of a wholesale dealer licence (PDF, 52KB) was sent out about the restrictions on parallel exports.

As of 1 January 2021, you may no longer be able to export branded medicines that have been placed on the UK market to countries in the European Economic Area (EEA).

Check the guidance on the exhaustion of Intellectual Property rights and parallel trade.

Hoarding or exporting a medicine on the list is considered a breach of regulation 43(2) of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and a contravention of the wholesale dealer licence, and may lead to regulatory action by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which could include immediate suspension of the wholesale dealer licence.

Further advice and information

If you have any questions about the restrictions, email restrictedmedicines@dhsc.gov.uk.

Published 3 October 2019
Last updated 19 February 2024 + show all updates
  1. Added the following product to the list: Salbutamol (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: nebuliser liquid unit dose vials).

  2. Added the following products to the list: Iodixanol (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: solution for injection); Iohexol (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: solution for injection); Nadolol (strength: 80mg, pharmaceutical form: tablets); potassium chloride/potassium bicarbonate (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: effervescent tablet); sodium dihydrogen phosphate anhydrous (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: effervescent tablet).

  3. Added the following product to the list: Olanzapine embonate: all strengths; powder and solvent for suspension for injection.

  4. The following products have been added to the list of medicines: Hyoscine hydrobromide (strength: 1.5mg, pharmaceutical form: patches); Bumetanide (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: tablets); Methylphenidate hydrochloride (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: all); Atomoxetine (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: all); Lisdexamfetamine mesylate (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: all); Dexamfetamine sulfate (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: all); and Guanfacine (strength: all, pharmaceutical form: all).

  5. The following products have been added: Ketamine; Bupivacaine + Fentanyl; Levobupivacaine; Human corticotrophin releasing hormone (hCRH) (Unlicenced). The following products have been removed: Ceftazidime; Cefuroxime; Co-trimoxazole; Cyclizine; Esomeprazole; Fentanyl; Hepatitis B vaccine; Hyoscine butylbromide; Influenza vaccine; Insulin soluble human; Piperacillin + Tazobactam; Potassium chloride; Sarilumab; Suxamethonium; Tocilizumab; Vancomycin. The following products have been amended: Dexamethasone; Diamorphine.

  6. Added to the list of medicines: Permethrin 5% cream.

  7. Added to the list of medicines: Semaglutide, all strengths, tablets; Dulaglutide, all strengths, solution for injection; Exenatide, all strengths, solution for injection; Liraglutide, 6mg/ml, solution for injection; Insulin degludec + Liraglutide, 100units/ml + 3.6mg/ml, solution for injection.

  8. Added to the list of medicines: Progesterone, 100mg oral capsules.

  9. Added to the list of medicines: Glucagon: all strengths; powder for injection, solution for injection.

  10. Added the following 2 products to the list: 'Nirmatrelvir and ritonavir' and 'Molnupiravir'.

  11. Added on 20 December 2022: the following 3 products have been added to the list: Flucloxacillin, Oseltamivir and Zanamivir. Added on 4 October 2019: 20 medicines were added to the list of medicines that are subject to export and hoarding restrictions: Adrenaline, Conjugated oestrogens, Conjugated oestrogens + Bazedoxifene, Conjugated oestrogens + Medroxyprogesterone, Estradiol, Estradiol + Dydrogesterone, Estradiol + Levonorgestrel, Estradiol + Medroxyprogesterone, Estradiol + Norethisterone acetate, Estradiol + Norgestrel, Estriol, Hepatitis B vaccine, Levonorgestrel, Medroxyprogesterone, Oseltamivir, Ospemifene, Prazosin, Progesterone, Rivaroxaban and Tibolone.

  12. Further presentations of 2 medicines have been added to the list: Amoxicillin oral suspension and oral solution, and Phenoxymethylpenicillin (Penicillin V) oral suspension and oral solution.

  13. Ten medicines have been removed from the list of medicines intended for the UK market that cannot be exported from the UK. They are: Anakinra, Budesonide, calcium chloride, Colestyramine, Dexmedetomidine, Epoprostenol, Milrinone, Rifampicin, Rivaroxaban and Salbutamol. Insulin human has been removed as this is the same product as insulin soluble human. A further 4 products have been added to the list. These are: amoxicillin, cefalexin, phenoxymethylpenicillin (Penicillin V) and azithromycin oral suspension.

  14. Added semaglutide to the list.

  15. Two medicines have been added to the list: alteplase and tenecteplase.

  16. 32 medicines have been removed from the list of medicines intended for the UK market that cannot be exported from the UK. They are: Albumin human, Adrenaline, Amikacin, Amoxicillin, Anidulafungin, Bupropion, Caspofungin, Cefalexin, Ceftazidime + Avibactam, Dabigatran etexilate, Dapagliflozin, Dobutamine, Esmolol, Flucloxacillin, Glyceryl trinitrate, Granisetron, Ketamine, Lansoprazole, Magnesium Sulfate, Metoclopramide, Micafungin, Morphine, Ondansetron, Potassium bicarbonate + Potassium chloride, Potassium chloride + Glucose + Sodium chloride, Potassium chloride + Sodium chloride, Ranitidine, Ruxolitinib, Sodium chloride, Sodium dihydrogen phosphate, Sodium lactate and Terlipressin. Two medicines have been added to the list: Conjugated oestrogens and medroxyprogesterone acetate and Estriol.

  17. Updated the list to inlcude one missing product: Amiodarone - solution for injection.

  18. Updated list of medicines to reflect that 47 medicines have been removed from the list: Aclidinium bromide, Aclidinium bromide + Formoterol, Amiodarone, Bambuterol, Beclometasone + Formoterol, Beclometasone + Formoterol + Glycopyrronium bromide, Benralizumab, Ciclesonide, Edoxaban, Exenatide, Fluticasone + Formoterol, Fluticasone + Salmeterol, Fluticasone + Umeclidinium bromide + Vilanterol, Fluticasone + Vilanterol, Formoterol, Insulin aspart, Insulin aspart biphasic, Insulin degludec, Insulin degludec + Liraglutide, Insulin detemir, Insulin glargine, Insulin glargine + Lixisenatide, Insulin glulisine, Insulin isophane biphasic human, Insulin isophane biphasic porcine, Insulin isophane bovine, Insulin isophane human, Insulin isophane porcine, Insulin lispro, Insulin lispro biphasic, Insulin mixed bovine, Insulin protamine zinc bovine, Insulin soluble bovine, Insulin soluble porcine, Insulin zinc crystalline human, Insulin zinc mixed human, Lithium carbonate, Lopinavir + Ritonavir, Mesalazine, Norethisterone, Oseltamivir, Pneumococcal vaccine, Roflumilast, Semaglutide, Ticagrelor, Tiotropium, Tiotropium + Olodaterol. Bupropion tablets added to the restricted export list.

  19. Updated list of medicines to supplement the previous update of 30 October 2020. The new, shorter list comes into effect on 3 August 2021. 30 medicines have been removed from the list of medicines intended for the UK market that cannot be exported from the UK. They are: Atenolol, Beclometasone, Bisoprolol, Budesonide + Formoterol, Buprenorphine, Buprenorphine, Chloroquine phosphate, Digoxin, Estradiol + Norethisterone acetate, Fluticasone, Ondansetron, Plasma-Lyte, Salbutamol + Beclometasone, Sodium chloride, Granisetron, Ibuprofen, Ipratropium, Labetalol, Lisinopril, Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate, Metoprolol, Mometasone, Nedocromil, Terbutaline, Terbutaline, Prednisolone, Salbutamol + Ipratropium, Salmeterol, Sodium cromoglicate, Sodium cromoglicate + Salbutamol.

  20. Updated details section to state that from 1 January 2021 you may no longer be able to export branded medicines that have been placed on the UK market to countries in the European Economic Area (EEA). You should check the guidance on changes to the exhaustion of Intellectual Property rights and parallel trade from 1 January 2021.

  21. Two medicines have been added to the list: dabigatran etexilate and semaglutide. The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 7 November 2020.

  22. Updated list of medicines to replace previous update from 30 October. The restriction start date is 31/10/2020 00:00. 27 medicines have been removed from the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK. They are: Alprostadil, Azathioprine, Colecalciferol + Calcium carbonate, Conjugated oestrogens, Conjugated oestrogens + Bazedoxifene, Conjugated oestrogens + Medroxyprogesterone, Dabigatran, Doxycycline, Enoxaparin, Estradiol + Dydrogesterone, Estradiol + Medroxyprogesterone, Estradiol + Norgestrel, Estriol, Furosemide, Hepatitis A + B vaccine, Hydroxychloroquine, Levonorgestrel, Measles + Mumps + Rubella vaccine, Medroxyprogesterone, Meropenem, Misoprostol, Omeprazole, Ospemifene, Prazosin, Progesterone, Teicoplanin and Tibolone. 2 medicines have been added to the list: Influenza vaccine and Anakinra. The pharmaceutical forms for Co-trimoxazole and Hydrocortisone have been updated.

  23. 27 medicines have been removed from the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK. They are: Alprostadil, Azathioprine, Colecalciferol + Calcium carbonate, Conjugated oestrogens, Conjugated oestrogens + Bazedoxifene, Conjugated oestrogens + Medroxyprogesterone, Dabigatran, Doxycycline, Enoxaparin, Estradiol + Dydrogesterone, Estradiol + Medroxyprogesterone, Estradiol + Norgestrel, Estriol, Furosemide, Hepatitis A + B vaccine, Hydroxychloroquine, Levonorgestrel, Measles + Mumps + Rubella vaccine, Medroxyprogesterone, Meropenem, Misoprostol, Omeprazole, Ospemifene, Prazosin, Progesterone, Teicoplanin and Tibolone. 2 medicines have been added to the list: Influenza vaccine and Anakinra. The pharmaceutical forms for Co-trimoxazole and Hydrocortisone have been updated.

  24. Lithium carbonate has been added to the list of medicines.

  25. Two pharmaceutical forms of dexamethasone (oral solution and solution for injection) have been added to the list of medicines. The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 16 June 2020.

  26. 33 medicines have been added to the parallel export list and the pharmaceutical forms of 5 medicines have also been updated. Aclidinium bromide, Aclidinium bromide + Formoterol, Atenolol, Azithromycin, Bambuterol, Benralizumab, Bisoprolol, Buprenorphine, Ceftazidime + Avibactam, Cyclizine, Dabigatran etexilate, Dapagliflozin, Dexamethasone, Digoxin, Exenatide, Glycopyrronium bromide, Haloperidol, Hyoscine butylbromide, Ibuprofen, Labetalol, Lisinopril, Metaramino, Metoprolol, Pantoprazole, Roflumilast, Ruxolitinib, Sarilumab, Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate, Ticagrelor, Tiotropium, Tiotropium + Olodaterol and Tocilizumab.

  27. The date of restriction for updates made on 3 April 2020 has been amended.

  28. Discrepancies between 'strength' and 'pharmaceutical form' have been corrected in the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK.

  29. 52 medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK, these are: Cefalexin, Codeine, Co-trimoxazole, Diamorphine, Doxycycline, Ipratropium, Salbutamol, Prochlorperazine,Salbutamol + Beclometasone, Salbutamol + Ipratropium Terbutaline, Beclometasone, Beclometasone + Formoterol, Beclometasone + Formoterol + Glycopyrronium bromide, Budesonide, Budesonide + Formoterol, Fluticasone, Fluticasone + Formoterol, Fluticasone + Salmeterol, Fluticasone + Umeclidinium bromide + Vilanterol, Fluticasone + Vilanterol, Ciclesonide, Mometasone, Salmeterol, Formoterol, Sodium cromoglicate, Sodium cromoglicate + Salbutamol, Nedocromil, Edoxaban, Midazolam, Buprenorphine, Levomepromazine, Mesalazine, Colecalciferol + Calcium carbonate, Insulin aspart, Insulin aspart biphasic, Insulin degludec, Insulin degludec + Liraglutide, Insulin detemir, Insulin glargine, Insulin glargine + Lixisenatide, Insulin glulisine, Insulin human, Insulin isophane biphasic human, Insulin isophane biphasic porcine, Insulin isophane bovine, Insulin isophane human, Insulin isophane porcine, Insulin lispro, Insulin lispro biphasic, Insulin mixed bovine, Insulin protamine zinc bovine, Insulin soluble bovine, Insulin soluble human, Insulin soluble porcine, Insulin zinc crystalline human, Insulin zinc mixed human. The pharmaceutical forms of several medicines have been updated to clarify which pharmaceutical forms are included in the restrictions.

  30. Several names of medicines have been updated to align with the dictionary of medicines and devices (https://apps.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/DMDBrowser/DMDBrowser.do). The pharmaceutical forms of several medicines have been updated to clarify which pharmaceutical forms are included in the restrictions. Duplications have been removed.

  31. 82 medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK. The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 21 March 2020. The medicines added to the list are: Accusol 35, Albumin, Alfentanil, Amikacin, Amiodarone, Amoxicillin, Anidulafungin, Argipressin, Atracurium, Calcium, Caspofungin, Ceftazidime, Ceftriaxone, Cefuroxime, Cisatracurium, Clarithromycin, Clonidine, Co-amoxiclav, Cyclizine, Dalteparin, Dexmedetomidine, Dobutamine, Enoxaparin, Epoprostenol, Erythromycin, Esmolol, Esomeprazole, Fentanyl, Flucloxacillin, Furosemide, Plasma-Lyte, Gentamicin, Glyceryl trinitrate, Granisetron, Heparin sodium, Hydrocortisone, Hemolactol, Hemosol B0, Insulin, Ketamine, Lansoprazole, Levofloxacin, Linezolid, Lorazepam, Lactasol, Magnesium, Meropenem, Metoclopramide, Micafungin, Midazolam, Milrinone, Morphine, Morphine sulfate, Monosul, Noradrenaline, Omeprazole, Ondansetron, Ondansetron, Oxycodone, Pantoprazole, Paracetamol, Piperacillin, Potassium chloride, Prednisolone, Propofol, Prismasol 4, PrismOcal B22, Prismocitrate 18/0, Potassium chloride, Ranitidine, Remifentanil, Rifampicin, Rocuronium, Sodium chloride, Sodium dihydrogen phosphate, Sodium lactate, Suxamethonium, Teicoplanin, Terlipressin, Tinzaparin, Vancomycin and Voriconazole.

  32. Hydroxychloroquine has been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK. The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 14 March 2020.

  33. Three medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK: Lopinavir + Ritonavir, Chloroquine phosphate and Azathioprine. The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 26 February 2020.

  34. Inconsistencies in the naming of medicines have been addressed and names now follow the 'Dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d)'. The restrictions are on the virtual therapeutic moiety (VTM) unless the actual medicinal product (AMP) is listed.

  35. Alogliptin has been removed from the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK.

  36. Two medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK: colestyramine sachets and fluticasone propionate nasules.

  37. One medicine has been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK: hepatitis A and B vaccine. The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 14 November 2019.

  38. Four medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK: alogliptin/metformin; pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine; measles, mumps and rubella vaccine; and misoprostol. The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 6 November 2019.

  39. Four medicines have been added to the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK: alprostadil, beclometasone dipropionate, noresthisterone and ranitidine. The date of restriction is 00:00am at the start of 18 October 2019.

  40. The 'Date of publication' column has been removed from the list of medicines that cannot be parallel exported from the UK. This is to avoid confusion with the 'Date of restriction' column.

  41. A link to guidance on 'Parallel export and hoarding of restricted medicines' has been added to the details text.

  42. Added link to letter to holders of a wholesale dealer licence.

  43. First published.