Common cough medicines are pulled for safety reasons

Health & Social Care’s senior pharmacist sent out a recall notice yesterday morning following the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s warning about medicines containing cough suppressant pholcodine.

‘Pholcodine is found in several over-the-counter cough and cold remedies,’ said an HSC spokeswoman.

‘It has a good safety record over decades of use, but a recent investigation has discovered a possible link between people who have taken pholcodine and a rare severe allergic reaction to certain general anaesthetics.

‘The numbers of people affected will be very small.

‘The evidence base regarding the effectiveness of cough suppressants is not strong so it’s now thought that this small risk outweighs any potential benefits of taking products containing pholcodine.’

The MHRA highlighted 20 products to be recalled, made by big companies including Boots and GlaxoSmithKline.

Yesterday at 1pm the shelves of Boots’ Town branch were relatively empty of cough medicines in general, as they have been for weeks. But two of the recalled products – Covonia dry cough sugar free formula and Pholcodine Linctus Bells Healthcare 5mg per 5ml oral solution were still for sale.

The Guernsey Press has approached Boots for comment.

The Channel Island Co-op, which has three pharmacies, said that it was withdrawing all products containing pholcodine from its shelves.

‘This is a precautionary measure that relates to a rare allergic side-effect only for patients undergoing general anaesthesia,’ said Sara Kynicos, superintendent pharmacist, head of care at CI Co-op,

‘If any patients are concerned about this, then please speak to one of our pharmacists in store who will be happy to assist you.’

At Stonelakes on the Bridge, pharmacist Sally Le Page confirmed they had been checking their shelves after receiving a notification from HSC.

‘We trawled the shelves to make sure,’ she said, but confirmed they had not needed to remove any products as they did not have the medicine in stock.

‘There’s been a shortage, so we have not had some for quite some time. We’ve had real problems getting hold of it.’

She said they last had any of the medicines in stock about a month ago.

She added that it had been a popular medicine in the past and they had not had any problems, but it was important to follow the latest research. There are other options available for dry coughs.

Islanders should contact their pharmacy if they are unsure whether any products they may have at home are affected.

They should not continue to take any product containing pholcodine, although there is no immediate concern of harm.

‘Any remaining medicine can be taken to a pharmacy for safe disposal, where the community pharmacy team will be able to advise on alternative products which they can buy,’ the HSC spokeswoman said.

The MHRA stated that data had demonstrated that pholcodine use, particularly in the 12 months before general anaesthesia, was a risk factor for developing an anaphylactic reaction to certain anaesthetics.

All pholcodine-containing medicines are pharmacy-only medicines.

Recalled products

. Boots Night Cough Relief Oral Solution

. Boots Dry Cough Syrup 6 Years+

. Boots Day Cold & Flu Relief Oral Solution

. Cofsed Linctus

. Care Pholcodine 5mg/5ml Oral Solution Sugar Free

. Galenphol Linctus

. Galenphol Paediatric Linctus

. Galenphol Strong Linctus

. Covonia Dry Cough Sugar Free Formula

. Pholcodine Linctus Bells Healthcare 5mg Per 5ml Oral Solution

. Numark Pholcodine 5mg per 5ml Oral Solution

. Well Pharmaceuticals Pholcodine 5mg per 5ml Oral Solution

. Superdrug Pholcodine Linctus BP

. Strong Pholcodine Linctus BP

. Pholcodine Linctus BP

. Strong Pholcodine Linctus BP

. Pholcodine Linctus

. Day & Night Nurse Capsules

. Day Nurse Capsules

. Day Nurse