UK Cough medicines withdrawn from shelves over allergy concerns

Certain popular cough medicines that have been sold over the counter at pharmacies are being withdrawn after health experts have warned of rare cases of allergic reaction.

Following a review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), all cough medicines that contain the ingredient pholcodine are being withdrawn from the UK as a precaution.

Products from brands including high street shops Boots and Superdrug, as well as Day and Night Nurse, that are often sold behind the counter, are among the 20 medicines being withdrawn.

Some of the medicines being taken off pharmacy shelves include:

• Boots Night Cough Relief Oral Solution
• Boots Dry Cough Syrup 6 Years+
• Superdrug Pholcodine Linctus BP
• Day Nurse
• Galenphol Strong Linctus
• Cofsed Linctus

Professor Claire Anderson, President of the royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: ‘All products containing the cough suppressant pholcodine have been withdrawn due to concerns of its potential to cause a severe allergic reaction in some people having general anaesthesia for surgery.

‘The risk to patients who have used pholcodine is very small. If you are due to have surgery, please speak to your pharmacist or medical team for advice.

‘This withdrawal is needed as safety of patients is paramount and we support efforts to ensure that all medicines on the market are safe and effective.’

Although a vast amount of cough medicines are being taken off the market, Professor Anderson has added that coughs often clear up within three to four weeks and can be treated with other cough medicines and home remedies such as hot lemon and honey.

Although it has been used as a cough suppressant since the 1950s, research has exposed pholcodine can cause a serious allergic reaction in some people. The reaction can be caused if patients later go for surgery and need a general anaesthetic which involves the use of a muscle relaxant or ‘neuromuscular blocking agents’ (NMBA).

Healthcare professional have been advised by the MHRA to stop supplying the products ‘immediately’ and ‘quarantine all remaining stock’.

The MHRA said that all pholcodine containing medicines are ‘pharmacy-only medicines’ which means they will only have been sold or dispensed under the supervision of a suitably trained healthcare professional.

Dr Alison Cave from the MHRA said: ‘Safety is our top priority, and we keep the safety of medicines under continual review.

‘Following a thorough scientific safety review of all the available evidence on pholcodine, together with advice from the independent Commission on Human Medicines, it has been recommended, as a precautionary measure, that these products should no longer be used.’

Europe’s medicines regulator, the European Medicines Agency, recommended the withdrawal of pholcodine medicines from the 

The European Medicines Agency, Europe’s medicines regulator, is already one step ahead as the organisation recommended the withdrawal of pholcodine medicines from the European market last December. 

In addition to the UK stopping people from buying medicines that contain pholcodine, last month health experts were reviewing serious side effects that were potentially being caused by nasal decongestants which contained a drug called pseudoephedrine. 

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