Portugal’s medicines authority Infarmed has assured that there are “several alternatives on the market” to Ben-U-Ron, the popular medicinal syrup used to treat flu symptoms in children, which is at risk of going out of stock at national pharmacies this month.
The initial warning came from the National Association of Pharmacies (ANF), which said last week that stocks would likely be running low or out completely in January.
Infarmed spokesperson Helena Pontes has confirmed that the medicines authority was notified by Bene Farmacêutica, the company responsible for distribution of Ben-U-Ron in Portugal, that this situation could occur.
“The production (of the syrup) ran into a quality problem and the company acted accordingly by notifying Infarmed in due time so that we could guarantee access to this medicine, a 40ml paracetamol syrup,” she said.
As an alternative, citizens can purchase similar medicinal syrup produced by Generis Farmacêutica, Laboratórios Basi and Farmoz.
Ponte added that Bene Farmacêutica expressed its availability to increase the amount of Ben-U-Ron medicine in the form of pills and suppositories, although Infarmed’s priority was to ensure that citizens had access to exactly the same kind of medicine in a syrup form – which is usually easier for children.
She also said that the situation is currently worse for Ben-U-Ron’s manufacturer than it is for the “national consumer, as the medicine is being sold in Portugal” by other brands.
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