JEDDAH, 18 December 2005 — “Very, very important: A smuggled batch of Panadol Extra is being sold in the markets. Batch number 050292 is dangerous to the liver and kidneys. The original is numbered 050208. Tell your loved ones immediately.”
This SMS began circulating last Monday to thousands around the Kingdom causing some alarm among users of the popular pain relief and fever medication. By Tuesday, it had made the local press.
Within hours of the SMS’ circulation, the Ministry of Health confirmed what was written in the message, adding that they had known about the issue for 23 days and that their own lab analysis found the batch “not up to standards.”
Local Arabic press reports indicated that despite the supposed Ministry of Health recall, the suspect batch was still being sold in the Eastern Province. Pharmacists there denied ever receiving a recall order. Press reports also stated that there were 10,000 boxes in circulation.
“I honestly think this whole thing is ridiculous. If there really was a serious problem with even a single batch of a pharmaceutical product, all batches would be recalled and all pharmacies would be immediately notified,” one pharmacist told Arab News. “This is not a joking matter. The Ministry of Health takes these things seriously.”
“I have been reading the newspapers, and I think they have been very irresponsible in their handling of this whole thing,” he continued. “The only thing counterfeit about all this is the SMS itself, and the news reports stemming from it. In my opinion this is just a game to influence the market.”
Conflicting reports have been appearing in the local Arabic daily press about the suspect batch. One publication states that batch 050292 is counterfeit and was smuggled into the country. Other reports suggest that the batch is authentic, having arrived through the Jeddah Islamic Port, but had become tainted during manufacturing or storage.
Panadol Extra was readily available everywhere in Jeddah, but batch 050292, manufactured in March of 2005, remained elusive. A box of Panadol Extra purchased by Arab News yesterday bore batch number 050427 — a higher batch number bearing an earlier manufacturing date of October 2004.
“The fact that the serial numbers and dates conflict on the two packages is the only thing that can lend credence to the rumor that batch 050292 is counterfeit,” the pharmacist said.
A source at GlaxoSmithKline told Arab News on Saturday that he was surprised by local media reports that a recall had been ordered. “We just recently became aware of the concern and we are looking into it,” he said. “As it stands right now, I am confident that this is a rumor. Where it originates is still unclear. We will have a complete statement for Arab News later in the day.”
When asked if a recall had been ordered, he said: “Not at this time.”
Arab News’ subsequent calls and messages to GlaxoSmithKline went unanswered and an official statement has yet to be received. GlaxoSmithKline’s UK offices were closed for the weekend and also unavailable for comment.
