Pholcodine-containing cough and cold medicines are being withdrawn from the UK market following a safety review1. Find out what this means for healthcare professionals, what to say to patients, and what you can recommend instead.
What you need to know about the pholcodine withdrawal
Pholcodine-containing cough and cold medicines are being withdrawn from the UK market as a precaution following a safety review. There is evidence that using pholcodine-containing medicines leads to an increased risk of the very rare event of an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in patients who receive general anaesthesia involving neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) during surgery.
Full details can be found here.
Explore The BENYLIN® Range
As an alternative to pholcodine containing medicines.
BENYLIN® Dry Coughs 7.5mg / 5ml Syrup (P)
Dextromethorphan
Fast-acting cough relief that gets to work in just 15 minutes.
Contains dextromethorphan, which helps to suppress the coughing mechanism, reducing the urge to cough.
Suitable for use by those aged 12 years and over.
150ml
Dextromethorphan hydrobromide
BENYLIN® Dry Coughs Night (P)
Diphenhydramine, Dextromethorphan & Levomenthol
This product helps provide night-time relief of dry, irritating coughs and aids restful sleep.
The liquid contains diphenhydramine hydrochloride, which is an antihistamine that helps relieve coughing and dry secretions in the nose and chest, dextromethorphan hydrobromide, which is an antitussive to help stop coughing, and levomenthol, which helps relieve congestion to ease breathing.
Suitable for use by those aged 12 years and over.
150ml
Dextromethorphan hydrobromide, diphenhydramine hydrochloride, levomenthol
BENYLIN® Day & Night Tablets (P)
Diphenhydramine, Paracetamol, Pseudoephedrine
Contains paracetamol, which helps to relieve aches and pains, and fever, diphenhydramine, which is an antihistamine that helps relieve coughing and sneezing, and pseudoephedrine, which is a decongestant that helps with nasal congestion.
With tablets specifically for day time and night time to provide 24 hour cold & flu relief.
Suitable for use by those aged 12 years and over.
16 tablets
Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, paracetamol, diphenhydramine hydrochloride
BENYLIN® 4 Flu Tablets (P)
Paracetamol, Diphenhydramine, Pseudoephedrine
Contains paracetamol, which helps to relieve aches and pains and fever, diphenhydramine, which is an antihistamine that helps relieve coughing and sneezing, and pseudoephedrine, which is a decongestant that helps with nasal congestion.
Suitable for use by those aged 10 years and over.
24 tablets
Diphenhydramine hydrochloride, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, paracetamol
The BENYLIN® range has a wide selection of products to help customers with dry coughs, cold and flu symptoms that do not contain pholcodine.
Find the right product for your patients
References
- GOV.UK. Pholcodinecontaining cough and cold medicines: withdrawal from UK market as a
precautionary measure. https://www.gov.uk/drugsafety-update/pholcodinecontaining-cough-and-coldmedicines-withdrawal-fromuk-market-as-aprecautionary-measure (accessed May 2023)
UK-ACA-2300123
Date of Preparation: May 2023