‘Fake’ Panadol rumours give a headache to Glaxo SmithKline

SMS text messages which read: "Beware of the smuggled Panadol Extra — batch No: 50298 — that can affect your kidney and liver. The original Panadol number is 050208. Please pass this message over to your loved ones," have been doing the rounds. Glaxo SmithKline, however, denied the allegations.

Confirming the rumours about counterfeit 'Panadol Extra' are reports by 'Ukaz' a newspaper in Saudi Arabia, which said the Health Ministry of Saudi Arabia had withdrawn the fake product from the market. "The Health Ministry has acknowledged the accuracy of the rumours that Panadol Extra of a particular batch number is not manufactured according to specifications. The tests conducted at the Central Laboratory, Jeddah, has also ratified the same," reads the newspaper report.

According to Ukaz, the Health Ministry said the product in question was detected with manufacturing defect, and not smuggled or fake as SMS messages had warned.

However, the UAE Ministry of Health is currently investigating the matter and health inspectors have been put on the alert, it has been learnt.

Humaid Al Shamsi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Pharmacy and Supplies, was quoted as saying that there was no evidence yet to prove the claim. "We have not yet unearthed any counterfeit Panadol in the market and we believe that nothing of that sort exists. We are in touch with the agent and inspections are continuing," he was quoted as saying on a local radio.

Responding to the allegations, Glaxo SmithKline, the manufacturer of Panadol, told Khaleej Times that the batch number 50298 was never sold in the UAE for the last three years. "I can assure you that there is nothing of that kind.. Panadol cannot kill people. We have been the market leader for almost 25 years in the Middle East, and Panadol is manufactured under stringent quality standards," said the official.

On the rumours, the official said they were working with the authorities to sort out the issue. The company was supposed to issue a statement last night or today.

Commenting on the reports from Saudi Arabia, he said the company was trying to figure out the source of the story, and was in discussion with the Saudi authorities.

A representative of Al Baker Store, the agents for Panadol in the UAE, told this reporter that they were ignorant as to what triggered the rumours. "We were also surprised to come across these messages because we have not supplied Panadol with the batch number 50298. And regarding the question of any manufacturing defect, we are just the distributors of the product and not in a position to comment on the issue," he said.

A few pharmacies admitted that they were keeping a vigil on the product, though there have been no complaints from customers so far.