New dosing instructions on liquid paracetamol in children

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the government agency responsible to make sure medicines work and are acceptably safe, has issued revised dosing instructions for healthcare professionals on liquid paracetamol.

The MHRA report, which has a plain language summary on pages 2-5, notes that paracetamol is widely used to treat pain and fever in children (from 2 months). Paracetamol may be prescribed by your doctor, and it is also available to buy “over the counter” from high street pharmacies.

The MHRA conducted a review in the UK on children’s paracetamol products, and have now revised the instructions on doses, the amount of medicine suitable for children depending on their age.

Companies that make paracetamol for sale in the UK will be required to include the new dosing instructions on the patient information leaflet.

You can download the report from the MHRA website.

You can read the Medicines for Children leaflet about paracetamol that is prescribed bya healthcare profesional to treat mild-to-moderate pain.