Medication alerts
Medication Safety Alerts provide important safety information to healthcare professionals and services across the South Australian health system.
Information from local, national and international sources is utilised to provide health services with warnings, advice and guidance on medicine related safety issues. The alerts also serve to ensure learnings relevant to enhancing safe use of medicines may be shared across the South Australian health system in an active manner.
Medication Safety Alerts are distributed by the SA Health Safety Alert Broadcast System (SABS).
Each alert specifies action to be taken by health services, the timeframe in which such action must occur and specific responsibility for the actions.
For previous notifications, please email HealthSABS@sa.gov.au
National alerts
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) medication alerts and recalls
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) issues national national medication alerts and national recalls.
High-Risk Medication Alerts
National 'High-Risk' Medication Safety Alerts issued by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care include:
- Intravenous Potassium Chloride can be fatal if given inappropriately (PDF 442KB)
- Vincristine can be fatal if given by the intrathecal route (PDF 328KB)
Current medication safety alerts issued by SA Health
- Tenecteplase (Metalyse®) - Shortage update and conservation strategies (PDF 177KB)
- Tenecteplase (Metalyse®) - Global shortage and shelf-life extension (PDF 247KB)