Direct healthcare professional communications (DHPC)

DHPCs serve to inform healthcare professionals of, for example:

• a suspension, withdrawal or revocation of a marketing authorisation for safety reasons;
• an important change, for example a restriction of indication, a new contraindication or a change in the recommended dose;
• quality problems with a medicine;
• a medicine supply shortage related to a quality, safety or efficacy issue.

In cases where a shortage is not linked to a quality, safety or efficacy issue, marketing authorisation holders can send medicine shortage communications (MSCs) instead of DHCPs. For example, this applies to withdrawals due to commercial decisions or to unexpected increases in demand for certain medicines.

DHPCs agreed at EU level include a communication plan specifying the intended recipients and the dissemination date.

National competent authorities may adapt the text agreed at EU level to their specific situation, so the final letter a healthcare professional receives may differ slightly from the version published on the EMA website.

For more information, regulatory guidance and templates, see:

For more information, see:

• Pharmacovigilance: post-authorisation
• Medicine shortage communications (MSC)

For a list of DHPCs agreed at EU level and published by EMA, see our Medicine search: DHPCs.

National competent authorities publish DHPCs in their official languages.

Please note that the information in these national registers may not be available in English.

EU Member State	Medicine register
Austria	https://www.basg.gv.at/gesundheitsberufe/sicherheitsinformationen-dhpc
Belgium	https://www.afmps.be/fr/humain/medicaments/medicaments/pharmacovigilance/dhpc_s_-_direct_healtcare_professional_communications (FR) https://www.fagg.be/nl/MENSELIJK_gebruik/geneesmiddelen/geneesmiddelen/geneesmiddelenbewaking/dhpc_s_-_direct_healtcare_professional_communications (NL)
Bulgaria	https://www.bda.bg/bg/лекарствена-безопасност-съобщения/преки-съобщения-до-медицинските-специалисти
Croatia	http://www.halmed.hr/Farmakovigilancija/Pisma-zdravstvenim-radnicima/
Cyprus	No online register available yet
Czechia	http://www.sukl.cz/leciva/informacni-dopisy-lekarum
Denmark	https://laegemiddelstyrelsen.dk/da/bivirkninger/direkte-sikkerhedsinformation/udsendte-meddelelser/
Estonia	https://www.ravimiamet.ee/ohutusalased-teabekirjad
Finland	https://www.fimea.fi/ajankohtaista/laaketurvatiedotteet/myyntiluvanhaltijoiden_tiedotteet
France	https://ansm.sante.fr/S-informer/Informations-de-securite-Lettres-aux-professionnels-de-sante
Germany	https://www.bfarm.de/DE/Arzneimittel/Pharmakovigilanz/Risikoinformationen/Rote-Hand-Briefe_Informationsbriefe/_functions/RI_rhb_Filtersuche_Formular.html https://www.pei.de/DE/newsroom/veroffentlichungen-arzneimittel/sicherheitsinformationen-human/sicherheitsinformationen-human-node.html;jsessionid=E9871C8D5D9AE8DB94ACE2D8256E95B0.2_cid319 (biologicals / vaccines)
Greece	https://www.eof.gr/web/guest/announcements
Hungary	https://www.ogyei.gov.hu/dhpc_levelek/
Ireland	https://www.hpra.ie/homepage/medicines/safety-notices?type=4&orderby=DATE_NEWEST
Italy	https://www.aifa.gov.it/ricerca?q=nota+informativa+importante
Latvia	https://www.zva.gov.lv/lv/veselibas-aprupes-specialistiem-un-iestadem/zales/farmakovigilance/vestules-veselibas-aprupes-specialistiem
Lithuania	https://www.vvkt.lt/index.php?3139344720
Luxembourg	https://sante.public.lu/fr/espace-professionnel/domaines/pharmacies-et-medicaments/pharmacovigilance/dhcp.html
Malta	http://www.medicinesauthority.gov.mt/dhpc
Netherlands	https://www.cbg-meb.nl/onderwerpen/medicijninformatie-nieuws-over-veiligheid-van-medicijnen
Poland	http://www.urpl.gov.pl/pl/produkty-lecznicze/komunikaty-bezpiecze%C5%84stwa-0
Portugal	https://extranet.infarmed.pt/INFOMED-fo/pesquisa-avancada.xhtml
Romania	https://www.anm.ro/medicamente-de-uz-uman/farmacovigilenta/comunicari-directe-catre-profesionistii-din-domeniul-sanatatii/
Slovakia	https://www.sukl.sk/hlavna-stranka/slovenska-verzia/bezpecnost-liekov/oznamy-drzitelov-dhpc?page_id=2155
Slovenia	https://www.jazmp.si/humana-zdravila/farmakovigilanca/obvestila-za-zdravstvene-delavce/neposredna-obvestila-za-zdravstvene-delavce/
Spain	https://www.aemps.gob.es/medicamentos-de-uso-humano/farmacovigilancia-de-medicamentos-de-uso-humano/cartas_segprofsani/
Sweden	https://lakemedelsverket.se/dhpc
EEA Member State
Iceland	https://www.lyfjastofnun.is/lyfjagat/bref-til-heilbrigdisstarfsmanna-dhpc/
Liechtenstein	See Austria
Norway	https://legemiddelverket.no/bivirkninger-og-sikkerhet/kjere-helsepersonell-brev-sikkerhetsinformasjon-for-helsepersonell