Metronidazole — Indian supplier of 500mg/100ml IV infusion and 200mg / 400mg tablets to UK, GCC and African tender desks.

This spoke covers three SKUs: metronidazole 500mg/100ml solution for infusion (5mg/ml) in polyolefin ready-to-use infusion bags, and metronidazole 200mg and 400mg film-coated tablets. Tablets ship in PVC/PVdC-Aluminium blisters or HDPE bottles (100-tablet tender cartons typical; 500 / 1000-tablet bulk bottles available for public-sector supply). The topical gel, vaginal gel, oral suspension and suppository presentations are separate M Care SKUs and quoted separately.

It is ready-to-use. The 500mg/100ml polyolefin bag contains a 5mg/ml aqueous solution — hang and infuse, no reconstitution required (unlike vancomycin or imipenem, which do). Keep the outer overwrap on the bag in prolonged storage to protect the solution from light. Do not refrigerate — metronidazole precipitates out of cold solution. Store and transport at 15-25°C; a standard controlled-ambient shipper covers most lanes.

Strict alcohol avoidance during therapy and for 48 hours after the final dose. Metronidazole inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase, and any alcohol exposure can trigger a disulfiram-like reaction within minutes — flushing, tachycardia, nausea, vomiting and headache. Check routinely-missed sources: alcohol-containing mouthwash, some cough syrups, tinctures, and food sauces reduced with wine. The reaction is unpleasant but not usually dangerous in a healthy adult; it is dose-dependent and frightens patients, so counselling is essential at dispense and again in the discharge summary.

Metronidazole tablets are on the WHO Essential Medicines List core list, and specific Indian generics are WHO-Prequalified under the WHO-PQ programme — particularly the 200mg and 400mg tablet presentations that are tender workhorses across Global Fund, UNICEF Supply Division, MSF and ministry-of-health procurements in Africa. M Care supplies from lines that carry WHO-PQ status where the tender terms specify it, and provides the prequalification record with the bid pack. Where a specific tender requires a non-PQ manufacturer, we route to an alternate WHO-GMP line and supply the equivalent dossier.

Four interactions matter clinically. Warfarin — metronidazole inhibits CYP2C9, INR climbs, reduce warfarin dose and monitor. Phenytoin and cyclosporin — levels rise, check concentrations. Lithium — levels rise, consider dose reduction or alternative antibacterial. Alcohol — disulfiram-like reaction, counsel strict avoidance during and for 48 hours after therapy. Peripheral or CNS neuropathy above a cumulative 2g dose or beyond ten days of therapy is a separate flag — review before any second extended course. Full interaction reference shared with the receiving pharmacy on request.

The UK (wholesaler and hospital supply, MHRA Specials where an unlicensed import is needed for a named patient), the GCC (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain — through licensed local importers), sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Egypt — tender, hospital and NGO supply), the Philippines, and Germany (§72 AMG import channels). We do not supply into India. Full list under markets.

For registered markets with stock on hand, dispatch is typically 5-10 working days from confirmed order on both the IV bag and the tablet. Made-to-order batches run 6-10 weeks for the IV bag (sterile fill-and-finish, plus QC release) and 4-8 weeks for tablets, inclusive of destination artwork and regulator-style labelling. Air-freight transit to the UK or GCC runs 3-5 days; sea-freight to Africa, 18-28 days. Both forms travel at controlled ambient; no cold-chain surcharge applies.