Tests confirm that GSK’s Panadol is safe for consumers

Text messages regarding Panadol Extra are erroneous

January 12, 2006, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) - Consumer Healthcare manufactures a range of Panadol products including Panadol Extra . As a global pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline manufactures and distributes Panadol under stringent safety and quality standards.

Recent unfounded rumours and incorrect information have reached our consumers through news channels and telephone text messaging in the Middle East questioning the safety of Panadol Extra batch number 050292.

After retesting by independent and GSK laboratories, the company has informed the governments of the Middle / Near East (Saudi Arabia, UAE) and the neighbouring region (Pakistan, Sri Lanka) that the batch in question (050292) conforms to the established safety and purity requirements for paracetamol, as do all batches of Panadol products. They are deemed to be safe and effective when used as advised on the pack and the insert leaflet.

GlaxoSmithKline respects patient safety as our paramount concern. Hence, these rumours are taken very seriously and we have started investigations into their source. GSK is aware that well-intentioned individuals are forwarding erroneous and unfounded text messages to mistakenly alert their friends and families. Unfortunately, whilst their intentions are not malicious, the facts being disseminated are false.

GSK stands by Panadol as a trusted brand that has an excellent safety profile, based on a long history of use by millions of consumers for over 50 years.

Contact Information

Larry Mulligan-Gibbs

Director, Consumer Healthcare Communications

GlaxoSmithKline

Contact via E-mail