Recalled drugs still on pharmacy shelves in UAE

Dubai In the absence of a Ministry of Health ban, UAE pharmacists continue to stock some of the over-the-counter drugs that have been recalled in 12 countries after consultations with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

More than 40 over-the-counter infant and children's medications were recalled in the US and 11 other countries on Saturday because they did not meet quality standards.

The Ministry of Health has not issued a statement and health officials were not available for comment on Sunday.

Pharmacists said while they were aware of recalls elsewhere, they had received no order from UAE health authorities to remove the drugs from the shelves.

Pharmacists who spoke to Gulf News said they only stocked Tylenol and Zyrtec for children, and not others that had been recalled in parts of the world.

Other drugs that have been recalled are variations of infant versions of Tylenol Plus, Motrin and Benadryl.

The recall was issued by McNeil Consumer Healthcare with the US Food and Drug Administration.

Alternatives

The company has advised consumers to stop giving the products to their children as a precautionary measure.

Doctors in Dubai have, meanwhile, said wary parents could give their children effective alternatives to Tylenol.

Al Safa Medical Centre endocrinologist Dr Abdul Mohsin Al Sayed said that Tylenol "is exactly the same as Adol and Panadol, it's just a Paracetamol".

"Tylenol was recalled a few years ago as well, and I've stopped prescribing it since then," he said.

"Paracetamol is all the same medication so it doesn't matter which brand you use. We don't even stock [Tylenol] in our pharmacy."

Umm Suqeim Medical Centre general practitioner Dr Badr Sultan Al Muhairi said Tylenol had only been recalled as a precaution.

"We've never prescribed or stocked it in government hospitals and pharmacies; it is usually prescribed in the private medical centres," he said.

"The treatment of Tylenol is the same as Adol, which we prescribe; the difference may be in the concentration of the drug."

Medcare Hospital Internal Medicine Specialist Dr Mazen Riadh said, to be on the safe side, parents should buy the regular Paracetamol "with nothing extra [in it]" .