THE IRISH Medicines Board (IMB) has said it is satisfied with the current restrictions in place in the Republic around cough and cold medicines for children.
Its comments came yesterday after its UK counterpart, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), issued new advice to parents warning that certain cough and cold remedies should not be used on children under six years. These include some Beechams, Benilyn and Lemsip products.
In addition, it said on Saturday that, following a review, it was going to take steps to ensure certain cough and cold remedies for children aged six to 12 years would in future only be sold in pharmacies. A year ago it ordered six cough and cold products to be removed from sale for children under two years.
The MHRA said the changes were being made to promote the safer use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for children under 12 years of age. Its review found “no robust evidence that these medicines work and they can cause side effects such as allergic reactions, effects on sleep or hallucinations”.
Asked if similar steps would be taken here, the IMB said there were only a limited number of cough and cold medicines licensed for children under six years of age in Ireland. “These products are not on general sale and are available in pharmacies only,” it said.
These would include certain Benylin cough syrups specifically for children aged two to 12 years. However, most of the Lemsip powders for cold and flu here have a warning on the box stating they should not be given to children under 12 years.
The IMB spokeswoman said: “The IMB is satisfied with the current restrictions in place for cough and cold medicines for children in Ireland.”
However, it urged parents to be careful about giving any medicine to children. “Before any medicine is administered to a child parents are advised to read the patient information leaflet carefully and consult with their GP or pharmacist as appropriate.”
Meanwhile, the use of cough and cold medicines in children is currently under review at European level and the IMB is participating in this review.