Other safety alerts
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| The United Kingdom: MHRA statement on misuse of laxatives |
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Following the BBC Watchdog investigation into the availability of stimulant laxatives in the UK, first broadcast on Thursday 16 October the MHRA’s statement is below.
An MHRA spokesperson said:
“Most laxative medicines are used by patients safely and in accordance with the instructions for use on the patient information leaflet (PIL), however we do recognise that some patients misuse or abuse them. The Patient and Public Engagement Expert Advisory Group (EAG) which reports to the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) has recently reviewed the patient information for non-prescription laxatives and has recommended that stronger warnings should be added emphasising that taking laxatives regularly for a long time is harmful and they do not aid weight loss. We are currently working with companies of stimulant laxative products to introduce these updated warnings which should provide consistency across the range of stimulant laxative products available.
“We continuously monitor the safety of all medicines in the UK including concerns about misuse and abuse, and where necessary, we will take suitable action to safeguard public health within our regulatory remit. We would remind the public that anyone who self-medicates and buys their medicines from unauthorised internet sites could be in danger of receiving counterfeit or substandard medicines. We will continue to monitor the safety of non-prescription laxatives and will take further action if necessary.”
Please refer to the following website in MHRA for details:
http://www.mhra.gov.uk/NewsCentre/Pressreleases/CON467366
In Hong Kong, there are 112 registered pharmaceutical products containing stimulant laxatives, including bisacodyl, docusate sodium, glycerol, senna (e.g. sennoside, senna leaf powder, etc.), casanthranol and sodium picosulfate. In view of the above announcement, the matter will be discussed in the meeting of the Registration Committee of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board. The DH would keep vigilant on the updates of the announcement by the health authority
Ends/ Saturday, October 18, 2014
Issued at HKT 13:00
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