The Australian Department of Health warns parents of the risk of plastic fragments breaking from bottles of Terry White Chemists-branded children's paracetamol syrup that could be ingested by their children. The potential choking hazard of the fragments has led the authorities to allow the consumers to return the products.

The pharmaceutical company Apotex has identified that the bottle grooves used to secure the lids could break off during opening, which causes plastic fragments to mix with the syrup. The company has consulted with the Therapeutic Goods Administration, or TGA, to advise consumers and health professionals about the issue.

One batch of each Terry White Chemists branded children's paracetamol syrup for 1 to 5 years old and for 6 to 12 years old were found to have the issue on its bottles. The products affected are 200 ml bottles with the batch numbers FA4443 for the paracetamol syrup for 1 to 5-year-olds and IA50319 for 6 to 12-year-olds. The products have an expiry dates of August 2016 and February 2017, respectively. The Department of Health suggests for parents not to use the products from the affected batches in the meantime.

People who purchased either of the bottles with batch number FA4443 or IA50319 of the product are allowed to return the medicine to the place of purchase for refund or replacement, the Department of Health said. The batch number of the medicine is on the side of the carton and on the bottle label.

The same issue on bottles were also found in other products manufactured in the same facility. But no other batches of the affected Terry White Chemists children's paracetamol syrup were found to be affected.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au or tell us what you think below

RELATED STORIES