panadol suspended

SINGAPORE: The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has suspended the licence of Zerin 500mg tablets because they do not comply with quality standards.

Zerin contains paracetamol and is manufactured by Jayson Pharmaceuticals Ltd and distributed in Singapore by Ziwell Medical (S) Pte Ltd.

HSA said the Zerin tablets are used for the relief of fever and pain, and are available as an over-the-counter medicine.

Although the health risk to the individual consumer is low, HSA said it is suspending Zerin tablets due to product defects recently found.

It said this is to "prevent the exposure of members of the public to a product that is not compliant to quality standards".

All sales and distribution of Zerin tablets have been discontinued from the public healthcare institutions, private medical clinics and pharmacies.

Four reports of product defects have been investigated since August this year regarding Zerin tablets, where some tablets from different batches were found to contain small foreign particles.

Consumers who have stocks of Zerin tablets are advised to stop consuming the product.

But HSA said those who have already taken the affected product should not be unduly alarmed as the product defect poses minimal risk to health.