Urgent warning – anti-psychotics found in Nurofen packs
By Liz Lockhart
A warning has been issued that packs of Nurofen Plus could contain anti-psychotic drugs.
Mental Healthy wanted to get this information to you as quickly as possible. Many of our readers may take pain relief so this news could be vital. It is particularly worrying if you are already on anti-psychotic medication and could be dangerous.
The warning was issued by The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after reports that some batches of Nurofen Plus contain individual blister packs of Seroquel XL 50mg.
Seroquel XL is a prescription-only anti-psychotic drug used to treat several disorders including schizophrenia, mania and bipolar depression.
People are being warned to check pack of Nurofen Plus after it emerged that thousands of packets could be affected. The affected packs of Nurofen Plus all contain 32 tablets and carry the batch number/expiry date/product licence number 13JJ 03/2014 00327 / 0082; 57JJ 05/2014 00063 / 0376, or 49JJ 05/2014 00063 / 0376.
Each batch contains between 4,000 and around 7,500 packs, amounting to around half a million tablets. Not all the packs are affected.
Ian Holloway, from MHRA’s defective medicines report centre said ‘People should check to see if they have any affected packets of Nurofen Plus. If you do, return them to the pharmacy where you bought them from. If you have taken a tablet and you have any questions, speak to your GP.’
Reckitt Benckiser, manufacturer of Nurofen Plus, issued a statement saying there have been three cases identified so far which have all been confined to south London. It said ‘serious investigations’ are under way to establish how the mix-up occurred especially as Seroquel XL is manufactured by another drug firm, AstraZeneca.
The mix-up is believed to have happened at a wholesaler’s and the packs have been found in pharmacies across the UK.
The large capsules of Seroquel XL 50mg tablets have gold and black packaging while the Nurofen Plus tablets are smaller and have silver and black packaging.
Dr Aomesh Bhatt, medical director for Nurofen Plus, said: "We encourage consumers of Nurofen Plus to be vigilant and, while it is very unlikely, should they find they have a suspect pack or if they have any other concerns, we advise them to speak to the pharmacist where they purchased the product."
If you have Nurofen Plus in your home we strongly recommend that you check the packs now.
