Co-codamol tablets recalled over two-year expiry date error

A batch of the painkillers has been recalled as a “precautionary measure” after the wrong expiry date was printed on packaging, the medicines watchdog has announced.  

pills
The blister strips were “incorrectly printed” with a date from 2023 instead of 2025

Manufacturer “Accord-UK Ltd is recalling a specific batch of co-codamol 8/500mg effervescent tablets”, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced yesterday (April 10).

The batch has been recalled “due to the internal tablet blister strips being printed with an incorrect expiry date”, the medicines recall notice said.

Read more: Saline solution products recalled over bacterial contamination fears

The MHRA added that the incorrect date featured on packaging was wrong by two years – the blister strips being “incorrectly printed” with a date from 2023 instead of 2025.

The medicines watchdog stressed that the recall was a “precautionary measure” and “only packs from the specified batch are affected”.

“Stop supplying” the batch “immediately”

The MHRA said that the code for the effected batch is G2301502.

It added that healthcare professionals should “stop supplying the…batch immediately”.

“Quarantine all remaining stock and return it to your supplier using your supplier’s approved process,” it said.

But it said that “patients can continue to take medicines from this batch”.

Read more: Guanfacine ADHD medication ‘out of stock’ until May

Last week, the MHRA recalled several batches of saline solution-based healthcare products due to an investigation into their “potential” microbiological contamination.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Social Care (DH) announced that a medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is out of stock until next month amid ongoing shortages of drugs to treat the condition.

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Kate Bowie

Read more by Kate Bowie

Kate Bowie joined C+D as a digital reporter in August 2023 after graduating from a master’s in journalism at City, University of London. She began covering the primary care beat at the end of 2022, when she carried out several health investigations focused on staffing issues, NHS funding and health inequalities.

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