BREAKING NEWS Urgent warning issued as over-the-counter painkiller taken by millions recalled due to 'contamination' fears
Packs of the over-the-counter painkiller paracetamol have been recalled over fears some may be 'contaminated'.
Drug watchdog the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued the recall notice after a small number of pills were found to be 'discoloured'.
The precautionary recall was for two batches of paracetamol 500mg doses made by Chelonia Healthcare Limited.
Officials urged patients to check if they had received any batches with the code 2312010 and 2312011 which can be found on the packaging.
The affected batches have an expiry date of the 30th and 31st of November 2027 and were distributed earlier this year.
Officials also said patients who many have taken the medication and experience an 'adverse reaction' to seek medical attention.
Medics have also been told to stop issuing the batches to patients while an investigation is underway.
The recall notice did not detail what risk, if any, taking the medication could pose.
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The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
NHS trust cleared of corporate manslaughter after death of woman
An NHS trust has been cleared of corporate manslaughter after a young woman killed herself in a mental health unit after more than 10 similar attempts at self-harm. Jurors at the Old Bailey last Wednesday found that North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) was not responsible for the death of Alice Figueiredo, 22, but had 'failed to ensure the safety of a non-employee', it can now be reported. On Monday, ward manager Benjamin Aninakwa, 53, of Grays in Essex, was cleared of manslaughter by gross negligence, but was found guilty of failing to take reasonable care for the health and safety of patients on the ward. Jurors deliberated for 125 hours and 22 minutes to reach their verdicts. Ms Figueiredo died at Goodmayes Hospital, Redbridge, on July 7 2015, after a failure to remove plastic items from the communal toilets in the Hepworth Ward that had been used in repeated earlier attempts at self-harm. The jury heard Ms Figueiredo had been a 'bright and gifted' woman, the head girl at her school who had set up a mentoring system to support her peers. Her family said she was loved for her 'warmth, kindness and joyful character', the court was told. She was first admitted to the Hepworth Ward in May 2012 with a diagnosis including non-specific eating disorder and bipolar affective disorder, jurors heard. During her time on the acute psychiatric ward, the trust failed to remove plastic items from the communal toilets or keep them locked, even though she repeatedly used the items to try to kill herself. She had used plastic from the toilets to self-harm on at least 10 previous occasions. However, the court heard of eight more incidents involving similar materials before Ms Figueiredo killed herself. The suicide attempts were recorded in ward notes and other hospital records. Aninakwa, who was subject to a performance improvement plan, had failed to remove plastic that could be used for self-harm and failed to ensure incidents of self-harm were recorded, considered and addressed, jurors heard. Aninakwa and the trust had denied wrongdoing but declined to give evidence. The nurse had denied knowing about all the previous suicide attempts and said what action he took was overruled by management. It was claimed on his behalf that there was heightened observation to prevent incidents of self harm, which mitigated the fact plastic material was not removed and the communal toilets not locked. The trust also denied knowledge of the incidents, claiming the ward had not reported them. The process of removing plastics from the communal toilets was complicated by issues of infection control and preventing staff from being exposed to hazardous material in the bins, such as needles. The investigation into Ms Figueiredo's death began in 2016 but charges were not brought until September 2023. The first corporate manslaughter trial against an NHS trust collapsed in 2016 after a judge ruled there was no case to answer. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust was accused over the death of schoolteacher Frances Cappuccini, 30, the first prosecution of a health service body since the offence was introduced in 2008. She went into cardiac arrest and died after an emergency Caesarean section at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury, Kent, on October 9 2012. The sentence for corporate manslaughter is a fine of between £180,000 and £20 million depending on the size of the organisation. Judge Richard Marks KC thanked jurors for their 'immense hard work' and discharged them from jury service for the rest of their lives. He thanked Ms Figueiredo's parents for their attendance throughout the trial, saying: 'It speaks volumes for both of you, and the immense love you have for Alice.' 'I hope this provides some consolation and some closure,' he added.
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
'After taking Mounjaro, my life fell apart': Women reveal disturbing side effects from jab that started within days
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Three members—speaking anonymously to The Times—described the onset of debilitating anxiety, sleeplessness and panic attacks after starting Mounjaro. One said the anxiety felt like a kind of 'terror' she had never experienced before. The cases have prompted fresh questions over the safety profile of the medications as their use becomes more widespread. Charlotte Lloyd, 37, a social media manager from London and member of the online group, had anxiety symptoms so bad she found herself in A&E, The Times reported. Last autumn she gained weight during her fertility treatment, so she had a BMI high enough to qualify for the prescription weight-loss jab Mounjaro. While NHS access to the weight loss jab remain limited, the Mounjaro jab is widely available through online doctors and private clinics. To be eligible you must have a BMI of 30 or more, or a BMI between 27 and 30 (overweight) and a weight-related health condition such as prediabetes. 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Initially signed off work unable to 'do anything' or even 'follow a conversation', she later resigned with her relationship ending that same week. The woman who said her life 'just fell apart', said: 'The way I see it, it's a roll of the dice as to how you're going to react to these drugs. 'If people knew that they could have potentially catastrophic mental and physical side-effects, they could make a more informed decision about taking them.' Ms Lloyd isn't the only one experiencing psychological side effects—another woman also found herself in A&E after taking the jab. Maria Edwards, ended up in hospital last year only 48 hours after taking her first dose of the Mounjaro jab. When her BMI was over 30, so she too qualified for the weight loss jab which got from the online doctor, MedExpress. 'I thought I was having a heart attack,' she said, but her scans, x-trays and bloods taken, all came back clear. She said: 'I've never had any mental health problems. 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The Guardian
42 minutes ago
- The Guardian
From hallway jets to ‘pregnant' toothbrushes: my chaotic water flosser showdown
Cats and teeth. That's my contribution to the Filter so far, writing recommendations for new cat owners and electric toothbrushes. Rather than combining the two in a piece on cat toothpaste, I'm instead doubling down on the latter, writing about the wonderful world of water flossers. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. Water flossers, for those that don't know, are exactly what they sound like. Rather than sticking a bit of dental floss or an interdental brush between your teeth and along your gums, the idea is that you can instead fire a jet of water. It's more convenient and saves you the embarrassment of seeing what grim detritus you've been hoarding between your teeth each day. Are they as effective as regular flossing? 'Probably not' was the consensus I got from the dental experts I spoke to, but it's also an improvement on nothing, which is, lamentably, what most of us are doing now. 'In terms of plaque removal, flossing and interdental brushes will be better,' Dr Sam Jethwa, president of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, told me. 'The example I give patients is a boat sitting in a dock for a long time – it's got algae on the bottom. Get a hose pipe to try to get it off, it's not going to do anything. You need the water, but you need the mechanical movement there.' I'm pleased to report that my mouth isn't full of algae, and I certainly felt some benefit from my time water flossing, even if it had its limits. The cordless models look like pregnant toothbrushes – although sadly this isn't where baby toothbrushes come from. Rather, the distended lower section is designed to be filled with between 150ml and 400ml of water that can then be fired at your unsuspecting teeth and gums. 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