Prescription medicine
Succinylcholine Brand names: Anectine, Quelicin
Succinylcholine (Anectine) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1952. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 26 generic labelers.
- Generic listed
- A presentation discontinued
- Boxed warning
Check it at the source: the succinylcholine FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 18, 2026, Hospira, Inc.); the NDA 8453 record on Drugs@FDA; every succinylcholine label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of August 18, 2026; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026
VENTRICULAR DYSRHYTHMIAS, CARDIAC ARREST, AND DEATH FROM HYPERKALEMIC RHABDOMYOLYSIS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS •.
Acute rhabdomyolysis with hyperkalemia followed by ventricular dysrhythmias, cardiac arrest, and death has occurred after the administration of succinylcholine to apparently healthy pediatric patients who were subsequently found to have undiagnosed skeletal muscle myopathy, most frequently Duchenne muscular dystrophy [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ].
When a healthy appearing pediatric patient develops cardiac arrest within minutes after administration of QUELICIN, not felt to be due to inadequate ventilation, oxygenation or anesthetic overdose, immediate treatment for hyperkalemia should be instituted. In the presence of signs of malignant hyperthermia, appropriate treatment should be instituted concurrently [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ].
Reserve the use of QUELICIN in pediatric patients for emergency intubation or instances where immediate securing of the airway is necessary, e.g., laryngospasm, difficult airway, full stomach, or for intramuscular use when a suitable vein is inaccessible [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ]. WARNING: VENTRICULAR DYSRHYTHMIAS, CARDIAC ARREST, AND DEATH FROM HYPERKALEMIC RHABDOMYOLYSIS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning. […]
Used for
From the label: indications and usageQUELICIN is indicated in adults and pediatric patients:
as an adjunct to general anesthesia
to facilitate tracheal intubation
to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation.
Forms and strengths
- 20 mg/ml
- 200 mg/10ml
Injection (solution); injection.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- August 20, 1952 Anectine, Sandoz; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 28 first September 20, 1972; 20 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 29 of which 26 under generic applications, 3 under brand applications, repackagers included
- Last listed patent
- November 2, 2041 Succinylcholine Chloride injection; not a generic launch date
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- Not in the survey
- Shortage (FDA)
- None current 1 past records
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 30 since 2013 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest September 26, 2025; 9 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 3,844 through July 30, 2026
What is succinylcholine used for?
From the label: indications and usageQUELICIN is indicated in adults and pediatric patients:
as an adjunct to general anesthesia
to facilitate tracheal intubation
to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation. QUELICIN is a depolarizing neuromuscular blocker indicated in adults and pediatric patients:
as an adjunct to general anesthesia ( 1 )
to facilitate tracheal intubation ( 1 )
to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation.
FDA pharmacologic class: Depolarizing Neuromuscular Blocker.
Source: FDA drug label (QUELICIN), Hospira, Inc., effective August 18, 2026 (SPL set fb08161e-7711-406d-e7b3-ea4515c07983), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for succinylcholine (Anectine)?
The FDA approved the first generic succinylcholine on September 20, 1972. 28 generic applications are approved; 20 of them carry a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.
FDA's NDC Directory lists succinylcholine from 26 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 3 brand labelers. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
The Orange Book lists no patent for Anectine injection; a patent listed only for Succinylcholine Chloride injection runs to November 2, 2041. A patent or exclusivity date is not the date a generic goes on sale: court cases and settlements move it either way.
- 1952 earliest approval on file
- 1972 first generic approved
- 2041 last listed patent
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
Is succinylcholine in shortage?
No succinylcholine presentation is listed as in shortage in the FDA Drug Shortage Database (read October 8, 2026); its 1 record is all marked to be discontinued, the latest updated July 23, 2026. ASHP keeps a separate shortage list, which can differ.
| Presentation | Company | Status | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Succinylcholine Chloride, Injection, 20 mg/1 mL (NDC 63323-943-10) | Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC | To Be Discontinued | July 23, 2026 |
Every succinylcholine presentation in the FDA shortage database
Source: FDA Drug Shortage Database via openFDA, updated October 8, 2026
Has succinylcholine been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 39 recalls naming succinylcholine since 2013: 0 Class I (the most serious), 38 Class II, 1 Class III; 3 still ongoing. 9 of them are by firms that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of succinylcholine and that hold no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 26, 2025 | Class II | Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Inc. | Out-of-Specification (OOS) result during the 6-month stability testing; decreased preservative concentration. |
| August 27, 2025 | Class II | Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc | Failed Impurities/Degradation Specifications: Out-of-Specification test results obtained for any individual unknown degradation impurity. |
| November 9, 2023 | Class II | SCA Pharmaceuticals, LLC | Lack of Assurance of Sterility |
| September 21, 2023 | Class II | Central Admixture Pharmacy Services Inc | Lack of assurance of sterility: |
| July 17, 2023 | Class II | Central Admixture Pharmacy Services Inc | Lack of assurance of sterility: Lack of validation data for sanitization cycles |
| July 14, 2023 | Class II | Central Admixture Pharmacy Services, Inc. | Lack of assurance of sterility. Validation data for decontamination cycles is lacking. |
| July 10, 2023 | Class II | New England Life Care, Inc. dba Advanced Compounding … not a listed maker | CGMP Violations- that spaces adjacent to the production area may have been compromised at the time of production. |
| February 7, 2023 | Class II | Accord Healthcare, Inc. | CGMP Deviations: recalling drug products following an FDA inspection. |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the succinylcholine label say about other medicines?
The succinylcholine label names 13 other medicines in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The labels of 33 other medicines name succinylcholine. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Atropine | warnings and precautions | Pretreatment with anticholinergic agents (e.g., atropine) may reduce the occurrence of bradyarrhythmias. |
| Chloroquine | drug interactions | … β-adrenergic blockers, procainamide, lidocaine, trimethaphan, lithium carbonate, magnesium salts, quinine, chloroquine, isoflurane, desflurane, metoclopramide, terbutaline, and drugs that reduce plasma cholinesterase activity. |
| Dantrolene | warnings and precautions | Malignant Hyperthermia: Malignant hyperthermia may occur, especially in individuals with known or suspected susceptibility based on genetic factors or family history. Discontinue triggering agents, administer intravenous dantrolene sodium, and apply supportive therapies. |
| Desflurane | drug interactions | … procainamide, lidocaine, trimethaphan, lithium carbonate, magnesium salts, quinine, chloroquine, isoflurane, desflurane, metoclopramide, terbutaline, and drugs that reduce plasma cholinesterase activity. |
| Echothiophate | warnings and precautions | Plasma cholinesterase activity may also be diminished by chronic administration of oral contraceptives, glucocorticoids, or certain monoamine oxidase inhibitors and by irreversible inhibitors of plasma cholinesterase (e.g., organophosphate insecticides, echothiophate, and certain antineoplastic drugs) [see Drug … |
| Isoflurane | drug interactions | … blockers, procainamide, lidocaine, trimethaphan, lithium carbonate, magnesium salts, quinine, chloroquine, isoflurane, desflurane, metoclopramide, terbutaline, and drugs that reduce plasma cholinesterase activity. |
| Lidocaine | drug interactions | DRUG INTERACTIONS Drugs that May Enhance the Neuromuscular Blocking Action of Succinylcholine: promazine, oxytocin, aprotinin, certain non-penicillin antibiotics, quinidine, β-adrenergic blockers, procainamide, lidocaine, trimethaphan, lithium carbonate, magnesium salts, quinine, chloroquine, isoflurane, desflurane … |
| Lithium | drug interactions | DRUG INTERACTIONS Drugs that May Enhance the Neuromuscular Blocking Action of Succinylcholine: promazine, oxytocin, aprotinin, certain non-penicillin antibiotics, quinidine, β-adrenergic blockers, procainamide, lidocaine, trimethaphan, lithium carbonate, magnesium salts, quinine, chloroquine, isoflurane, desflurane … |
| Metoclopramide | drug interactions | … lidocaine, trimethaphan, lithium carbonate, magnesium salts, quinine, chloroquine, isoflurane, desflurane, metoclopramide, terbutaline, and drugs that reduce plasma cholinesterase activity. |
| Procainamide | drug interactions | DRUG INTERACTIONS Drugs that May Enhance the Neuromuscular Blocking Action of Succinylcholine: promazine, oxytocin, aprotinin, certain non-penicillin antibiotics, quinidine, β-adrenergic blockers, procainamide, lidocaine, trimethaphan, lithium carbonate, magnesium salts, quinine, chloroquine, isoflurane, desflurane … |
| Quinidine | drug interactions | DRUG INTERACTIONS Drugs that May Enhance the Neuromuscular Blocking Action of Succinylcholine: promazine, oxytocin, aprotinin, certain non-penicillin antibiotics, quinidine, β-adrenergic blockers, procainamide, lidocaine, trimethaphan, lithium carbonate, magnesium salts, quinine, chloroquine, isoflurane, desflurane … |
| Quinine | drug interactions | DRUG INTERACTIONS Drugs that May Enhance the Neuromuscular Blocking Action of Succinylcholine: promazine, oxytocin, aprotinin, certain non-penicillin antibiotics, quinidine, β-adrenergic blockers, procainamide, lidocaine, trimethaphan, lithium carbonate, magnesium salts, quinine, chloroquine, isoflurane, desflurane … |
| Terbutaline | drug interactions | … trimethaphan, lithium carbonate, magnesium salts, quinine, chloroquine, isoflurane, desflurane, metoclopramide, terbutaline, and drugs that reduce plasma cholinesterase activity. |
Other labels that name succinylcholine
Source: FDA drug label (QUELICIN), Hospira, Inc., effective August 18, 2026 (SPL set fb08161e-7711-406d-e7b3-ea4515c07983), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for succinylcholine?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 3,844 reports that list succinylcholine among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 390 are coded as a death and 1,395 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What next?
- Succinylcholine side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Succinylcholine shortage record
- every presentation, company and date
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other