France had already decided to withdraw them from its pharmacies, Europe has chosen to ban them. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Friday 2 December the ban within the European Union of several cough syrups containing the opioid pholcodine. Intended to treat dry cough in both children and adults, these treatments can cause a very dangerous allergic reaction under general anesthesia, even if they have been consumed a long time ago.
“The use of pholcodine in the previous 12 months may cause, at the time of general anesthesia, a anaphylactic reaction“, a “sudden, severe, life-threatening allergic reaction”EMA said in a press release indicating its decision, which will be applied subject to administrative approval.
