Overdose fears take remedies off shelves

Mar 27 2008 by Greg Tindle, South Wales Echo

COUGH and cold remedies for young children are being removed from shelves across South Wales today, due to fears of accidental overdose.

Six products specifically aimed for use on under-twos are being permanently removed from sale on the orders of the Government’s medicines watchdog.

More than 100 other cough and cold mixtures for children up to the age of six will be taken off the shelves – with pharmacists ordered to give advice on the dosage when the medicines are asked for.

The alert centres on 12 ingredients in the products and reports of adverse reactions when the dose was exceeded when combined with other medicines.

Sara Coakley, spokeswoman for the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said letters were sent to health care professionals explaining the move.

“It’s a precautionary measure. They are not dangerous,” she said.

“If they had been dangerous, we’d have had them off the market in seconds. Nobody should panic. There’s nothing wrong with these medicines it was the way that they had been given.”

She said the remedies could be dangerous if people gave their child more than the recommended dose or gave them more than one product at the same time.

“Children under two are particularly susceptible because of their small size, so can be at risk of overdose,” she added.

“We are saying don’t give it to under-twos.”

Miss Coakley admitted there had been an increase in “adverse reactions” to the products but said it had been more widely seen in the United States where improved packaging has now been introduced.

She said products aimed at children aged over two will be returned to shelves once they have been repackaged to include the new advice that they should not be given to young children. This is expected to happen by October.

Miss Coakley added: “This is a temporary measure. If you are giving them the right dose, don’t worry. Make sure you follow the correct dosage.”

TOP SIX WITHDRAWN MEDICINES

The following cough medicines are directly targeted at children aged two and under and are being withdrawn from today. They will eventually be re-labelled and put on sale for children aged two and over:

Asda Children’s Chesty Cough Syrup

Boots Chesty Cough Syrup One Year Plus

Boots Sore Throat and Cough Linctus One Year Plus

Buttercup Infant Cough Syrup

CalCough Chesty

Bell’s Children’s Chesty Cough.

Your view

"I’ve used most of the medicines listed that are being taken off the shelves for my children in the past. But I’m not that concerned for my grandchildren as it says how much to give them on the bottle."
Karen Regan, 52, sales consultant from Canton and grandmother of two boys, aged nine and four.

"Last year I gave my grandson who was three at the time, a spoonful of cough medicine, and soon as I turned my back and put on the lid he was unconscious on the floor. It could have been his temperature or anything, but I’m too scared to give it to him nowI don’t rate cough medicine, when you give it to them it doesn’t really affect them."
Sue Dixon, 44, sales assistant, Pentwyn, and grandmother of two.

"I don’t usually buy cough medicine because I use other methods like lemon and honey and plenty of fluids. I’m glad some of them are being taken off the shelves as I hope more mums will not use them."
Catherine Brown, 31, sales assistant from Llanrumney and mum of a daughter, eight, and son, two.

greg.tindle@ mediawales.co.uk