Apohealth children’s medicines recalled over choking fears
Pharmaceutical company Apotex has recalled three types of children’s medicines due to lids issue which may pose a choking hazard, announced Australia’s Health Department, through its Therapeutic Goods Administration, or TGA.
The Canada-based company has recalled 200 millilitre bottles of Apohealth children’s paracetamol for one to five years, children’s paracetamol for six to 12 years and children’s ibuprofen for six months to 12 years.
According to the TGA, there’s a small risk that when the products are opened, the bottle grooves securing the lids could break off. This may pose a potential choking hazard, since pieces of plastic could be ingested.
Consumers and health professionals are advised to check if they have the affected products. Included in the recall are Apohealth children’s paracetamol for one to five years with batch numbers IA50283 and IA50321 and Apohealth children’s paracetamol for 6 to 12 years with batch numbers IA50254 and IA50257. These batches will all expire on February 2017.
It was also identified in the recall announcement that Apohealth children’s ibuprofen for six months to 12 years, will expire in September 2017 with batch numbers IA50405 and IA50406.
The TGA said no other batches of these medicines are known to be affected. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are both used to relieve pain and fever, but the latter can also be taken to reduce inflammation.
Earlier this year, the TGA has advised the recall of other children’s medicines for the same reason – they are encased in bottles with grooves in the lids that can break off during opening.The affected products are Chemmart and Pharmacy Choice ibuprofen children’s suspensions and children’s paracetamol six to 12 years concentrated, Terry White Chemists branded ibuprofen children’s suspension and Pharmacy Care children’s paracetamol suspension for six to 12 years and Pharmacy Care’s paracetamol elixir for one to five years. Medicine supplier Symbion also recalled six batches of children’s analgesics affected with the similar issue.
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