Popular cough medicines are being recalled due to fears that people could suffer from a serious allergic reaction.
– What happened?
Guardian, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) ordered some products off the shelves due to concerns about the possibility of a rare allergic reaction in humans.
Cough medicines containing pholcodine are said to be being recalled and recalled from the UK “as a precaution”.
This is based on an assessment of the risk of ‘very rare’ anaphylaxis – a serious allergic reaction – when people who have taken pholcodine in the last 12 months are given general anesthesia with neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs).
The MHRA said: “The available data have shown that the use of pholcodine, particularly within 12 months prior to general anesthesia with NMBA, is a risk factor for developing an anaphylactic reaction to NMBA.”
– What are NMBAs?
Neuromuscular blocking agents are also known as muscle relaxants and data suggest they are used in around half of the general anesthetics administered in the UK.
NMBAs block the transmission of signals between motor nerve endings and skeletal muscles, preventing the affected muscles from contracting.
One application is when a patient requires intubation, with NMBA paralyzing or relaxing the jaw and vocal cords.
– What products are recalled?
The following products have been discontinued:
Boots Night Cough Relief Oral Solution, PL 00014/0230
Shoes dry cough syrup 6 years+, PL 00014/0523
Oral solution against colds and flu Boots Day, PL 00014/0565
Cofsed Linctus, PL 00240/0097
Care Pholcodine 5 mg/5 ml oral solution without sugar, PL 00240/0101
Galenphol Linctus, PL 00240/0101
Galenphol Pediatric Linctus, PL 00240/0102
Galenphol Strong Linctus, PL 00240/0103
Covonia Sugar-free dry cough formula, PL 00240/0353
Pholcodine Linctus Bells Healthcare 5mg per 5ml oral solution, PL 03105/0059
Numark Pholcodine 5mg per 5ml oral solution, PL 03105/0059
Well Pharmaceuticals Folcodine 5mg per 5ml oral solution, PL 03105/0059
Superdrug Pholcodine Linctus BP, PL 03105/0059
Potent Pholcodine Linctus BP, PL 03105/0060
Folcodine Linctus BP, PL 04917/0002
Potent Pholcodine Linctus BP, PL 04917/0005
Folcodine Linctus, PL 12965/0030
Day and night care capsules, PL 44673/0068
Day nurse capsules, PL 44673/0069
Day nurse, PL 44673/0075
– What should patients do?
Patients are advised to inform the anesthetist if they believe they have taken pholcodine in the previous year and are about to undergo general anaesthesia.
The MHRA says people should also check products at home (such as the packaging, label or patient information leaflet) to see if they contain pholcodine.
It says people can talk to their pharmacist about other suitable cough relief medicines.
