The MHRA is urgently recalling 4,464 packs of Co-codamol 30/500 Efferevescent Tablets amid concerns they may contain too much or too little of the active ingredients.

The watchdog issued a Class 1 recall alert earlier today (June 16), explaining that manufacturer Zentiva Pharma is recalling the 1K10121 batch after it was discovered some packs contain either too little of the ingredients codeine phosphate and paracetamol or too much, potentially putting some patients at risk of overdose.

The affected packs contain 100 tablets and expire in December 2023. Pharmacy teams are advised to stop supplying packs from this batch immediately and return any remaining stock to their supplier, as well as contacting any patients who may have taken these tablets.

The recall is also the subject of a national patient safety alert from the MHRA.

MHRA chief quality officer Dr Samantha Atkinson said: “Patient safety is always our priority. It is vitally important that people urgently check their packs of Zentiva Pharma UK Ltd Co-codamol 30/500 Effervescent Tablets and if the batch number corresponds to 1K10121, they should stop using them and return them to their pharmacy for a replacement immediately.

“We are advising people not to take any tablets from these packs given the potential risks of doing so. Healthcare professionals should check their stocks and recall tablets from this batch urgently.”