Updates

Recall of flu and cold remedies because of incorrect children’s dosage

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has asked for some brands of cold and flu capsules to be taken off supermarket shelves. This is because the information about how much to give to older children was wrong.

December 4, 2021

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which is responsible for the safety of medicines in the UK, has asked for some brands of cold and flu capsules to be taken off supermarket shelves. This is because the information about how much to give to older children was wrong. The announcement was made on 11 November 2021 although some of the packets may have been on shelves for some time.

Children aged 12–15 years can have a maximum of 8 capsules over 24 hours. The instructions in the packets that have been removed said, incorrectly, that children aged 12–15 years could also have up to 12 tablets in 24 hours, which is the dose for children aged 16 years and over.

The risk of harm to children aged 12–15 years from taking the higher number of capsules per day is very low. However, the MHRA has asked for the products to be taken off the shelf until the dose recommendation has been changed.

If you have cold or flu capsules at home that you bought from a supermarket, check that they have the correct dose for 12–15 years old. If the information is wrong, make a note of the correct dose. If your child aged 12–15 years had the higher dose but without getting side-effects, you do not need to worry. If you are not sure, ask your pharmacist.

You can read more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/labelling-error-leads-to-retail-level-recall-of-cold-and-flu-medicine