People in the UK have been warned to be extra careful when purchasing Nurofen Plus packets, because some of them were found to have Seroquel XL 50mg in them, an anti-psychotic medication. Nurofen is a Reckitt Benckiser brand of pain-relieving drugs, mainly sold in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and other parts of Europe.

All 11 variants of Nurofen contain ibuprofen as the active ingredient – an analgesic. Nurofen is typically used to treat headache, fevers, menstrual pains and back pain.

This warning refers only to Nurofen Plus, which is a pharmacy only product.

Only three reports of defective packs have been registered.

Below are details on the affected Nurofen Plus packets:

Pack size – 32 tablets. Batch Number – 13JJ.

Expiry date – 03/2014. Product licence no – 00327 / 0082.

Expiry date – 03/2014. Product licence no – 00327 / 0082. Pack size – 32 tablets. Batch Number – 57JJ.

Expiry date – 05/2014. Product licence no – 00063 / 0376.

Expiry date – 05/2014. Product licence no – 00063 / 0376. Pack size – 32 tablets. Batch Number – 49JJ.

Expiry date – 05/2014. Product licence no – 00063 / 0376.

The Seroquel XL 50 mg tablets are large, and come in gold and black packaging, while the Nurofen Plus tablets are smaller, and come in silver and black packaging.

Ian Holloway from the MHRA’s Defective Medicines Report Centre (DMRC) said:

“People should check to see if they have any affected packets of Nurofen Plus. If you do, return them to the pharmacy where you bought them from. You can also report this to the MHRA on 020 3080 6000 or info@mhra.gsi.gov.uk. If you have taken a tablet and you have any questions, speak to your healthcare professional.”

Written by Christian Nordqvist