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The Health Ministry Should Take Extra Precautions On The Sale of Panadol In Malaysia To Ensure That None Contains Poisons Like Strychnine Statement by Dr Tan Seng Giaw, DAP National Vice-Chairman and MP for Kepong on the recall of Panadol and Panadeine by SmithKline Beecham in Australia on 10 June 2000. 13 June 2000 | |||||||
| Panadol is popular all over the world including Malaysia. Anybody can buy it over the counter at any time for fever and pain. On 9.6.2000, a couple in Australia took Panadol and collapsed from strychnine poisoning. They are recovering at Royal Darwin Hospital. SmithKline Beecham, the producer of Panadol, recalled the drug and Panadeine which contains Panadol and Codeine. Codiene suppresses pain and cough. Apparently, the company received two letters from an extortionist demanding A$70,000 after the poisoned Panadol was placed in a store. The company has assured the Malaysian public that Panadol sold in this country is safe to take. About 98% of the drug are made in Malaysia and 1% imported from Australia. As many Malaysians take Panadol for pains such as headache and fever, the Government must take the Australian incident in all seriousness. We do not want Malaysians to take contaminated Panadol. Further, the Health Ministry admits that it has conducted raids on backyard factories, making fake Panadol and other drugs. It is unclear whether the Government has succeeded in stamping out these illegal operators. We need to pay minute attention to Panadol, locally-made or imported from Australia. The Government should lean over backwards to ensure the safety of the drug. Panadol is the trade name. It is paracetamol or acetaminophen. It was first | |
used in 1893. It has been popular since 1949 because it has less side-effects than other fever and pain medicines such as Aspirin. In a person not sensitive to Panadol, a single ingestion of 10 to 15 grammes, gm, can damage the liver. A dose of 25 gm or more is potentially fatal. Each Panadol tablet contains 0.5 gm of Paracetamol. Most people take less than 10 gm or 20 tablets of Panadol each time. The case in Australia is not Panadol poisoning but strychnine which was used to lace Panadol. Strychnine was first introduced in medicine in 1540. It excites all parts of the brain. It causes fits. It should never be used for human beings. It is still used as rat poison, rodenticides. Between 50 to 100 milligrammes, mg, of the poison are enough to kill a person. The Drug Act (Advertisement and Sales) 1956 may not be enough to deal with poisoned Panadol or extortionists as those suspected in Australia. The Government certainly would have to let us know how it is handling the sale of Panadol in the country. It is not enough for the Government to prattle about how good it is in catching those who sell fake drugs. If a person goes round some of the shops which sell medicines, it is not difficult to detect that not all sales are according to the laws. Naturally, the public are watching for positive Governemnt response to the Australian Panadol case.
Dr Tan Seng Giaw | |||||
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