New Zealand: Media Release: Children's Medicine

[Guest guest]

" Alison White " <alison

" Alison White " <alison

" Alison White " <alison

Media release: children's medicine

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 15:04:20 +1300

Organization: Safe Food Campaign

 

 

 

Attention health, food, science, consumer and international reporters:

 

Safe Food Campaign media release 4 March 09

 

Medicine warning for kids

Recent reports linking over the counter medicines to deaths and

adverse reactions in children highlight the need for children's

medicine to be safer. Medicine should also be fully labelled with

ingredients and more consumer choice should be given, a newly formed

group of parents says.

 

 

 

Some issues of particular concern include:

 

7 The inclusion of artificial colours in commonly prescribed

children's medicine.

 

7 The use of the controversial artificial sweetener aspartame

which has been linked to a range of health concerns.

 

7 The lack of labelling making it impossible for parents to

know with certainty what additives are present in their children's

medicines and so preventing them from making fully informed choices.

 

 

 

" This situation is all the more deplorable when there is evidence

these over the counter medicines are just not effective, " says Alison

White, Co-convenor of the Safe Food Campaign, speaking on behalf of

the parents' group.

 

 

 

" We have become used to having ingredients fully disclosed in our

food, but we are continually frustrated that this regulation does not

yet apply to medicine or dietary supplements, " declared Ms

White. " Consumers have the right to more information than they are

getting. We would welcome Medsafe and the Food Safety Authority

recommending to the Government that full disclosure of ingredients

for medicines and dietary supplements be carried out.

 

 

 

" We are also concerned about potentially harmful ingredients such as

artificial colours and artificial sweeteners in medicines and dietary

supplements designed for children, and the lack of choice for

parents. It is impossible, for example, to get paracetamol in some

children's hospitals without artificial colours and sweeteners. As

well, there is no subsidy available for colour free paracetamol at pharmacies. "

 

 

 

Artificial colourings have been associated for many years with

hyperactive behaviour, eczema, asthma and other allergic reactions in

children. Restrictions on certain artificial colours have recently

been enacted in both Britain and Europe. A robust 2007 study

commissioned by the British Food Standards Agency concluded that

certain food additives including colourings and the preservative

sodium benzoate can influence hyperactive behaviour and affect

learning. As a result of this study, a voluntary ban on six

artificial colours has been requested by the Agency. Major

supermarket chains in Britain, as well as Cadbury and Nestle have

pledged to remove all artificial colourings from their products. The

European Parliament is requiring warning labels on artificially

coloured products by the end of 2009.

 

 

 

In New Zealand and Australia, Nestle have said they would remove

artificial colours from Smarties this year. Other food

manufacturers, supermarket chains and the regulatory authority Food

Standards Australia New Zealand have yet to follow the example set by

Britain and Europe.

 

 

 

" Independent, non-industry-funded research into the artificial

sweetener aspartame (951, Equal, Nutrasweet, 'phenylalanine') shows a

range of adverse effects, ranging from mild and transitory to

debilitating and life-threatening, " said Ms White. " No parent who is

aware of adverse effects from this controversial sweetener would want

to willingly give medicine, dietary supplements, or indeed any food

containing it to their children. Yet often there is very little

choice. In New Zealand aspartame is in at least 81 medicines

designed for children, and Britain has issued a warning for at least

three of these medicines.

 

 

 

" We want full labelling of medicines and dietary supplements,

colour-free and artificial sweetener-free medicines available in

hospitals and a subsidy for these in pharmacies. We want to

encourage manufacturers to remove questionable and potentially

harmful ingredients from their products and give the consumer more

information and choice, while we wait for our regulatory authorities

to do something about the appallingly neglected area of children's

medicine, " concluded Ms White.

 

 

 

NOTES

 

The six artificial colours used in the Southampton study, resulting

in a request for a voluntary ban in Britain, were the yellows,

tartrazine (102), quinoline (104), sunset yellow (110), and the reds,

carmoisine (122), ponceau (124), and allura (129).

 

 

 

In New Zealand, as at October 2007, 124 medicines, including 81

designed for children, contain the artificial sweetener

aspartame. The 81 are:

 

 

 

Anti-inflammatory Lozenges - Menthol and Eucalyptus Flavour Lozenge Amcal

 

Anti-inflammatory Lozenges - Raspberry Flavour Lozenge Amcal

 

Augmentin Duo 200 Powder for oral suspension

 

Augmentin Duo 400 Powder for oral suspension

 

Augmentin ES Powder for oral suspension 600mg/42.9mg per 5mL

 

Augmentin Forte Powder for oral suspension 250

 

Augmentin Powder for oral suspension 125

 

Berocca Performance Effervescent tablet

 

Berocca Performance Effervescent tablet Original Flavour and Tropical Flavour

 

Cellcept Powder for oral suspension 200mg/mL

 

Children's Panadol 7+ Years Soluble tablet 250mg

 

Chlorvescent Effervescent tablet

 

Claramax Reditabs Tablet 5mg

 

Curam Powder for oral suspension 125mg, 31.25mg/5mL and 250mg, 62.5mg/5mL

 

E-Mycin Granules for oral suspension 200mg/5mL and 400mg/5mL

 

Gastrolyte Powder Sachets Powder for oral solution fruit flavour and

natural flavour

 

Gastrolyte Pre-Mix Oral solution

 

Gastrolyte-R Powder

 

Gaviscon Chewable tablet 80mg/250mg/133.5mg - lemon flavour and

peppermint flavour

 

Gaviscon Cool Chewable tablet Cool Peppermint

 

Gaviscon Double Strength Chewable tablet 160mg/500mg/267mg - lemon

flavour and peppermint flavour

 

Glycoprep-C Powder 6%w/w

 

Imodium Melts Orodispersible tablet 2mg

 

Konsyl Orange (Sugar Free) powder Powder for oral solution 60.3%

 

Lemsip Cold & Flu Hot Drink Powder for oral solution 500mg Lemon &

Menthol flavour

 

Lemsip Cold & Flu Hot Drink Powder for oral solution Lemon flavour

 

Lemsip Max Cold & Flu + Chesty Cough Powder for oral solution

 

Lemsip Max Cold & Flu Direct Blackcurrant Oral granules and Lemon Oral granules

 

Lemsip Max Cold & Flu Hot Drink Powder for oral suspension 1,000mg

Lemon flavour and blackcurrant flavour

 

Lemsip Max Cold & Flu with Decongestant Hot Drink Powder for oral

solution Lemon flavour and Blackcurrant flavour

 

Lemsip Max Flu Lemon Powder for oral solution

 

Metamucil Lemon Lime Smooth Powder for oral solution 3.4g/dose

 

Metamucil Orange Flavour Smooth Texture Powder for oral solution

3.4g/dose (sachet)

 

Metamucil Orange Smooth Powder for oral solution 3.4g/dose (Jar)

 

Moxlin Sugar Free Powder for oral suspension 125mg/5mL and 250mg/5mL

 

Mucilax Powder for oral suspension 3g/dose (Orange flavour)

 

Nucolox Powder for oral suspension

 

Nurofen For Children Meltlets Orodispersible tablet 100mg Strawberry Flavour

 

Nurofen Meltlets Orodispersible tablet 200mg - lemon flavour and mint flavour

 

Orelox Granules for oral suspension 40mg/5mL

 

Ospamox Powder for oral suspension 100mg/mL, 125mg/5mL, 250mg/5mL

 

Panadol Cold & Flu Citrus Effervescent tablet 500mg

 

Panadol Rapid Soluble tablet 500mg

 

Paracotene Effervescent tablet 500mg/8mg

 

Phenergan Elixir 5mg/5mL

 

PicoPrep Powder for oral solution 0.64mg/g

 

Redoxon Double Action Chewable tablet

 

Redoxon Double Action Effervescent tablet 1000mg/10mg

 

Singulair Chewable tablet 4mg and 5mg

 

Synermox Syrup 125 Powder for oral suspension

 

Synermox Syrup 250 Powder for oral suspension

 

Throat Lozenges - Menthol and Eucalyptus Flavour Lozenge Guardian

 

Throat Lozenges - Raspberry Flavour Lozenge Guardian

 

Vicks Vital Lemon Throat Lozenge and Orange Throat Lozenge

 

Videx Chewable/dispersible tablet 25mg, 50mg, 100mg and 150 mg

 

Videx Chewable/dispersible tablet 25mg, 50mg, 100mg, 150mg and 200mg

(mandarin orange)

 

Vitaplus B Plus Effervescent tablet

 

Voltfast Powder for oral solution 50mg

 

Zyvox Granules for oral suspension 20mg/mL

 

 

 

Contact:

Alison White

 

Co-convenor

 

Safe Food Campaign

 

64 4 4768607, 021 1699120

 

alison

 

 

 

 

 

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