Anti-Psychotic Drugs 'Swapped With Nurofen'

A British healthcare regulator has issued a public health warning after packets of Nurofen painkillers were found to contain anti-psychotic drugs.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) advised people to be "extra vigilant" if taking Nurofen Plus pain relief tablets following reports that the anti-psychotic drug, Seroquel XL, had been found within three Nurofen Plus packets in South London.

According the MHRA spokesman on Friday morning, "Packets containing large capsule-shaped Seroquel XL 50 mg tablets can be identified by their gold and black packaging.

The smaller Nurofen Plus tablets can be identified by their silver and black packaging."

Ian Holloway from the MHRA's Defective Medicines Report Centre said: "People should check to see if they have any affected packets of Nurofen Plus. If you do, return them to the pharmacy where you bought them from. You can also report this to the MHRA’s DMRC on 020 3080 6574.

"If you have taken a tablet and you have any questions, speak to your GP."

Nurofen responded to the news on Friday saying they were taking the matter "extremely seriously" and were "working closely with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to investigate fully".

A spokesman for the company said: "We encourage people to be vigilant, and while it is very unlikely, should they find they have a suspect pack or if they have any other concerns, we advise them to speak to the pharmacist where they purchased the product."

Unconfirmed media reports are suggesting that animal rights activists are responsible for the switch, protesting against Nurofen's parent company Reckitt Benckiser's alleged use of animal testing.

(DW/BMcC)