More than 40% of people in Australia who access pain relief during labour use epidurals. That amounts to around 92,000 epidurals a year. They’re also used for pain relief outside obstetrics.

However, Australia is feeling the effects of a global supply shortage of particular brands of epidural kits.

While this shortage was expected to be resolved at the end of last month, a spokesperson for the TGA told The Conversation it would continue beyond July.

Health authorities are reportedly distributing stock to affected hospitals and working to secure additional kits, while the TGA is investigating how it can “allow [the] supply of alternative products to meet market demand”.