Asma Ali Zain
Parents expressed concern over the recall of 40 over-the-counter infant’s and children’s liquid medications, including the commonly used Tylenol.
Several parents said they had to make frantic calls to doctors asking if they should continue administering the drug to their children or not. Others asked for alternatives.
The UAE Ministry of Health said on Sunday that it will issue a circular today ordering a local recall of the medications that may include Tylenol, Tylenol Plus, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl.
However, a representative from Glaxo Smith Kline, the company that supplies Zyrtec to the UAE said it was safe for use since the medicine was manufactured in Italy and not the US.
McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the US-based manufacturers of the medicines issued a worldwide voluntary recall on Friday after consulting with the US Food and Drug Administration.
The recall has also been issued in the UAE, the US and 10 other countries.
According to the www.mcneilproductrecall.com that lists all the recalled products, medicine that have not yet expired have been recalled.
The company is advising consumers to stop giving the products to their children as a precautionary measure. The recall was not undertaken because of any adverse effects, the company said.
“We are also following what the company has advised and are asking parents to stop giving the products to their children as a precaution,” said a paediatrician in Dubai who said a number of parents had expressed concern over the news.
A parent, however, said that it was not clear what batches were affected. “I have sizeable stock of medicine and I am not sure if I should dispose of it and use alternatives for my children,” said Mariam Hafeez, a housewife based in Sharjah.
Until Sunday, pharmacies said that they were still stocking and selling the medicine. Ramin, a pharmacist from 32Care Green Pharmacy in Dubai said they had not been asked to remove the medicine from the shelves.
“The medicine is still being supplied and we will continue to sell it until we are asked by the ministry to stop doing so,” he said. Though Tylenol is widely used in the country, Motrin and Benadryl is not available.
Khaleej Times
