Summary
- Benpen injection products will be progressively discontinued in Australia from 30 November 2026, due to commercial reasons.
- Supply of Benpen injection products will continue until stock is exhausted.
- Alternative Australian-registered benzylpenicillin sodium injection brands are expected to remain available.
Benzylpenicillin sodium, the active ingredient in Benpen, is an injectable antibiotic which is widely used to treat infections caused by susceptible Gram-positive bacteria and to prevent infections following surgery and other medical procedures.
Discontinuation of Benpen brand
Pharmaceutical company Seqirus (also known as the ‘sponsor’) has notified us that they are discontinuing all strengths of their Benpen injection products.
The discontinuations are due to commercial decisions and are not related to product safety, quality or effectiveness. The affected products are listed in the table below:
| Product | Expected discontinuation date |
|---|---|
| Benpen benzylpenicillin sodium 600 mg powder for injection vial | 30 November 2026 |
| Benpen benzylpenicillin sodium 1.2 g powder for injection vial | 31 August 2027 |
| Benpen benzylpenicillin sodium 3 g powder for injection vial | 30 April 2027 |
Seqirus advises that supply of Benpen products will continue until available stock is exhausted.
Up-to-date information about these discontinuations is published on the Medicine shortage reports database, which can be searched by a medicine’s trade (brand) name or active ingredient.
Availability of alternative brands
Alternative benzylpenicillin sodium injection brands are registered in Australia. We have been informed that the sponsors of some of these brands plan to supply them in Australia in the future, which will support continued access to benzylpenicillin sodium medicines after the Benpen products are discontinued. Information on these alternative brands is available on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) by searching for the medicine’s active ingredient, benzylpenicillin sodium.
We recognise the vital role benzylpenicillin sodium has in hospitals and other healthcare settings. We will work closely with sponsors to monitor supply and support a smooth transition to alternative products where possible.
We will continue to update this page with information about the availability of alternative benzylpenicillin sodium injection products when possible.
General information
As the dates given for these discontinuations may change, we encourage you to check the Medicine shortage reports database for updates about the supply of benzylpenicillin sodium injections.
Please note that while we can suggest approaches to manage the supply of medicines during shortages or discontinuations, we do not have the power to regulate the clinical decisions of health professionals.
We will continue to monitor the supply of benzylpenicillin sodium injections and work with the suppliers and relevant health professionals to update this advice if needed.