Officials recall batches of two drugs for Parkinson’s and epilepsy

Officials recall MORE batches of two drugs for Parkinson’s and epilepsy amid fears they were stored wrongly and could be ineffective

• Neupro and Vimpat are being recalled by the UK’s medicines regulator 
• There are concerns they were wrongly stored and may not work properly
• There was a recall of the same drugs from a different company last month
• Patients are urged to check with their pharmacist whether they’re affected
• People shouldn’t stop taking medication without the say-so from their doctor  

More batches of two types of Parkinson’s and epilepsy drugs have been recalled by the British medicines regulator.

Patients taking certain types of the medications Neupro and Vimpat are being urged to check whether theirs are affected by the recall.

Those with Kosei Pharma, MPT Pharma, Drugsrus, P.I.E Pharma or Doncaster Pharmaceuticals labels on them are among those affected.

The announcement comes after three other batches of the same drugs were recalled last month.

The meds may have been stored at the wrong temperature which could mean they are less effective than they should be, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned.

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has recalled more batches of the drugs Vimpat and Neupro after concerns about them were first raised last month (stock image)

Affected batches are all in Italian packaging with a label from one of the UK pharmaceuticals listed above.

The MHRA said it wasn’t concerned the medicines were fake or illegitimate, but that it couldn’t be sure they had been stored or transported safely.

If medicines get too hot or too cold – these ones were stored in Italy – the chemicals in them can physically change, potentially making them less effective.

Other drugs were affected by the supply chain disruption but only Neupro and Vimpat are being recalled from patients.

Neupro patches stick to the skin and release a drug called rotigotine to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

And Vimpat, which comes in tablets, is an anti-seizure medication given to patients over the age of four who have epilepsy.

Previous versions of the same medications which were recalled had labels from a company called B&S Healthcare on them.

The MHRA’s Dr Andrew Gray said: ‘Making sure the medicines people and their families take are acceptably safe and effective is the primary role of the MHRA and is our highest priority.

‘When we are made aware of potential risks to the security of the supply chain, the MHRA takes action to protect the public.

‘Following new information, we have issued this further alert to ensure pharmacies have the information they need and to protect public health.

‘We continuously strive to ensure the UK’s regulated supply chain remains one of the safest in the world.’

Patients are warned to ask their GP or pharmacist if they think their medication is in one of the batches affected, but to not stop taking it of their own accord.

All those affected have expiry dates between July 2019 and April 2023. 

HOW CAN HIGH OR LOW TEMPERATURES STOP DRUGS WORKING?

Medicines usually come with storage instructions which dictate whether, for example, they should be stored in a fridge or at room temperature.

How medicines are stored is crucial for making sure they stay effective in the period before a patient needs to take them.

Many medicines need to be kept between 2°C and 8°C – fridge temperature, while some need to be below 15°C or below 25°C – room temperature.

If drugs are not kept within their safe storage limits, the chemicals inside them may be damaged.

Extremes of cold or heat can irreversibly damage the shape of proteins which are needed for the drugs to work. For antibiotics, for example, if the chemical structure of a drug changes it could lose its ability to attach to the bacteria or viruses it is designed to fight.

Temperatures may also cause physical changes to medicines which aren’t completely solid. 

Mixed emulsions, suspensions or suppositories may separate or settle in certain temperatures, while components in liquid medicines may crystallise if they get to cold.

And some drugs contain chemicals which only dissolve in liquid at certain temperatures, so if they get too hot or cold they can become unstable.

Source: Medicines Control Agency

Source: Read Full Article