This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/health/7315924.stm
The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Six baby cough medicines banned | Six baby cough medicines banned |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Cough remedies aimed at young children are to be removed from shelves "as a precautionary measure" amid fears of accidental overdose. | |
| The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has ordered six products taken by children aged under two be permanently removed from sale. | |
| About 90 more remedies will be removed until they can be repackaged. | |
| The move is due to concerns that parents might be giving children the wrong dosages. | The move is due to concerns that parents might be giving children the wrong dosages. |
| Parents are being urged to stick to paracetamol and ibuprofen medicines, vapour rubs and simple cough syrup such as glycerol, honey or lemon. | |
| There's nothing wrong with these medicines, it was the way that they had been given Sara Coakley MHRA | There's nothing wrong with these medicines, it was the way that they had been given Sara Coakley MHRA |
| There are 12 ingredients found in the remedies causing concern. | |
| They are brompheniramine; chlorphenamine; diphenhydramine; dextromethorphan; pholcodine; guaifenesin; ipecacuanha; phenylephrine; pseudoephedrine; ephedrine; oxymetazoline and xylometazoline. | |
| MHRA spokeswoman Sara Coakley said: "It's a precautionary measure. They are not dangerous." | MHRA spokeswoman Sara Coakley said: "It's a precautionary measure. They are not dangerous." |
| She went on: "If they had been dangerous, we'd have had them off the market in seconds. Nobody should panic. | She went on: "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." | "There's nothing wrong with these medicines, it was the way that they had been given." |
| About 90 more cough remedies are to be removed from shelves until they can be repackaged to include advice that they should not be given to children under two. | |
| And, until that time, they will be kept behind pharmacy counters. | And, until that time, they will be kept behind pharmacy counters. |
| Overdose risk | Overdose risk |
| Anyone who asks to buy these products will be questioned about the age of the child who is unwell. | Anyone who asks to buy these products will be questioned about the age of the child who is unwell. |
| The product can be sold if the child is older than two and an advice leaflet will be provided. | The product can be sold if the child is older than two and an advice leaflet will be provided. |
| The spokeswoman said the medicines could be dangerous if people gave a child more than the recommended dose, or gave them more than one product at the same time. | The spokeswoman said the medicines could be dangerous if people gave a child more than the recommended dose, or gave them more than one product at the same time. |
| She said youngsters under two are "particularly susceptible because of their small size", creating a "risk of overdose". | She said youngsters under two are "particularly susceptible because of their small size", creating a "risk of overdose". |
| And she admitted there had been an increase in "adverse reactions" to the products, although she said this had been more widely observed in the United States where improved packaging had since been introduced. | And she admitted there had been an increase in "adverse reactions" to the products, although she said this had been more widely observed in the United States where improved packaging had since been introduced. |