IMPORTANT PRESCRIBING INFORMATION

January 13, 2023

Temporary Importation of Cefotaxime for Injection to Address Drug Shortage

Dear Healthcare Professional:

Due to the current critical shortage of Cefotaxime for Injection products in the United States (U.S.) market, SteriMax Inc. (SteriMax), in conjunction with Provepharm, Inc. (Provepharm) and Direct Success, Inc. (Direct Success) is coordinating with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase the availability of the drug. SteriMax has initiated temporary importation of non-FDA approved Cefotaxime for Injection (1 g/vial, and 2 g/vial) into the U.S. market. The Cefotaxime for Injection from SteriMax is marketed in Canada and is manufactured at an FDA-inspected facility that complies with current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements.

At this time, no other entity except Provepharm or its distributor Direct Success is authorized by the FDA to import or distribute SteriMax’s Cefotaxime for Injection in the United States. FDA has not approved SteriMax’s Cefotaxime for Injection in the United States.

Effective immediately, Provepharm will distribute the following presentations of SteriMax’s Cefotaxime for Injection to address the critical shortage:


Note: DIN refers to Drug Identification Number for products approved by Health Canada
SteriMax Cefotaxime for Injection
1 g/vial (as cefotaxime sodium)	DIN: 02434091 (Canada)	NDC 21586-011-2
2 g/vial (as cefotaxime sodium)	DIN: 02434105 (Canada)	NDC 21586-012-2

The barcode on the imported product label may not register accurately on the U.S. scanning systems. Institutions should manually input the imported product information into their systems and confirm that the barcode, if scanned, provides correct information. Alternative procedures should be followed to assure that the correct drug product is being used and administered to individual patients.

In addition, the packaging of the imported product does not include serialization information. SteriMax’s Cefotaxime for Injection does not meet the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) requirements for the Interoperable Exchange of Information for Tracing of Human, Finished Prescription Drugs.

The vial and carton labels will display the text used and approved for marketing the products in Canada with both English and French translations. It is important to note that there are differences in the format and content of the labeling between the US approved product and SteriMax’s Cefotaxime for Injection. Please see the product comparison tables at the end of this letter.

Cefotaxime for Injection is available only by prescription in the U.S. Please refer to the package insert for the FDA-approved Cefotaxime for Injection drug product for full prescribing information.

Finally, please ensure that your staff and others in your institution who may be involved in the administration of Cefotaxime for Injection receive a copy of this letter and review the information.

If you have any questions about the information contained in this letter, any quality related problems, or questions on the use of SteriMax’s Cefotaxime for Injection, please contact SteriMax Inc. Customer Service at 1-800-881-3550.

To place an order, please contact Direct Success at Distribution@DSuccess.com or 1-877-404-3338.

Healthcare providers should report adverse events associated with the use of SteriMax’s Cefotaxime for Injection to Provepharm at 1-833-684-3234.

Adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of this product may also be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program either online, by regular mail, or by fax:

Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
Regular mail or Fax: Download form www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178.

We remain at your disposal to answer any questions you may have about our product; and provide more information if needed.

Sincerely,

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