Cough syrup containing pholcodine is banned in the European Union

Cough syrups containing pholcodine will be banned in the European Union because they can cause a very dangerous allergic reaction to general anaesthesia, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday (2 December).

These syrups, which are intended for the treatment of dry cough in both children and adults, can be dangerous even if they are taken long before anesthesia. Use of pholcodine in the previous twelve months may cause an anaphylactic reaction during general anesthesia.A “Sudden, severe and life-threatening allergic reaction”– says the EMA press release announcing the decision, which will be applied as soon as it is confirmed by the administrative authorities.

It has been off the shelves since September

These drugs, which have been in use since the 1950s, were until recently sold in Belgium, Croatia, France, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Slovenia under the brands Dimetane, Biocalyptol and Broncalene. They have been subject to prescription in France since 2011, and the EMA has been warning about these types of incidents for several years. French health authorities said in September that the marketing authorization for these syrups had been revoked and that they were already available in pharmacies or health centers.

In April 2020, at the height of the Covid epidemic, one of the main symptoms of which was a dry cough, they also advised against using this type of syrup.