IMB to investigate controversial pain killer

Claire O’Sullivan

The IMB said it had no immediate plans to withdraw Distalgesic, which is sold in Britain under the brand name Co-proxamol.

It was revealed yesterday the drug is to be taken off British pharmacy shelves over the next six to 12 months.

More than 400,000 packets of the drug are sold in Ireland every year for mild to moderate pain often caused by conditions such as back pain and arthritis.

The drug is being withdrawn on a staggered basis due to evidence that it can cause death if patients exceed the maximum recommended dosage by as little as two tablets.

The British Committee on Safety of Medicine said the benefits of the medicine did not outweigh the risks.

Research has shown that up to 400 British deaths are linked to either intentional or accidental overdoses of the painkiller which is likened to paracetemol yet requires a prescription.

It has also been shown that fatal overdoses due to Co-proxamol are the second most frequent means of suicide using prescribed drugs in England and Wales. It is believed British weapons adviser David Kelly took up to three packets of Co-proxamol shortly before his death in 2003.

The Irish Medicines Board said yesterday the drug had never been linked to a death in Ireland.

“It has been linked to 35 adverse drug reactions but never a fatality.

“We are carrying out a review of the drug independently and also as part of a pan-European investigation led by Sweden,” an Irish Medicines Board spokeswoman said. “There are no immediate plans to take it off the market however. We will await the review recommendations.”

Distalgesic is distributed in Ireland by Mundipharma which said yesterday that it was fully co-operating with the board’s review.

Meanwhile, pharmacists have asked the Government to allow them to prescribe medicines in limited circumstances.

President of the Irish Pharmaceutical Union (IPU), Dr Karl Hilton, said that the move could reduce pressure on A&E departments and doctors’ surgeries.

Dr Hilton said pharmacists could deal with routine ailments that may not need a time-consuming visit to a GP’s surgery.