UAE | Health
Panadol hoax does the rounds again this year
A three-year old hoax involving Panadol Extra has reemerged, warning people against a batch of the popular painkiller via text messages.
- By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:40 April 21, 2008
Dubai: A three-year old hoax involving Panadol Extra has reemerged, warning people against a batch of the popular painkiller via text messages.
The text message circulating in the UAE and elsewhere warns consumers "not to purchase Panadol Extra Batch No. 050292 ... if a person takes one capsule it will affect his kidney and damage it".
The warning can be traced to emails and text messages that surfaced in 2005 in Saudi Arabia, citing the same batch number. The health scare it generated prompted health authorities to conduct tests on the medicine, which was cleared as safe.
Ramez Sawiris, director of regulatory affairs at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), told Gulf News the fake warning has resurfaced a few times since 2005. "The whole thing is wrong. This batch number was never sold in the UAE. That was the case in 2005 and that is the case in 2008," he said. This is the second time this year Panadol has been targeted in a chain mail hoax. In February, an official-looking email wrongly warned people against consuming cold medicines, including Panadol Cold and Flu.
Sawiris advised consumers not to fall for chain mail via text messages or email questioning the safety of pharmaceutical products, saying the company has had to clear the air each time the rumour mill went into overdrive.
"It's very tiring. We're spending half our time on crisis management - and they're just rumours. It's a waste of our time," he said.
"If there is a problem with any GSK products, we will be the first to inform the Ministry of Health because we have standards and we want to protect the brand name," he added.
Health authority: No warning via texting
Dr Mohammad Abu Al Khair, drug consultant at Health Authority-Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News no health authority would issue drug safety warnings via test messages. "We would do an official release and publish it on our website. We would also put it in our newsletter," he said.
He added residents could check with the Poison and Drug Information Centre at 800-424 if they were not sure of the safety of a product.
Paracetamol used to reduce pain and fever
The active ingredient in Panadol is paracetamol internationally or acetaminophen in the US. It is used for pain relief and reduce fever. The drug is well-tolerated and does not affect the stomach lining. Metabolised in the liver, it does not affect kidney function.
Dr Saeed Salim Al Shaikh, consultant gastroenterologist at Consultant Physicians in Dubai Healthcare City, told Gulf News an overdose could cause damage to the liver. "[Damage occurs] if the dose exceeds the capacity of liver enzymes to deal with it," he said.
The maximum daily dose for a healthy adult is usually 4g or eight 500mg tablets. If an individual has a damaged liver, either from alcohol abuse or injury, then the dose would have to be lower to be safe. Children under the age of 2 should not take paracetamol without doctor's supervision.
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