Perrigo Company, a NY-based manufacturer of healthcare products, recently issued a recall of two particular types of cough syrup after the company discovered that an improperly labeled dosing cup was included in medicine packaging.

The faulty dosage cup was included with children’s guaifenesin DM grape liquid and children’s guaifenesin DM cherry liquid. The cough syrup is popular among parents of children throughout the U.S. and is sold at several retail stores, including Care One, CVS, Dollar General, GoodSense, H.E.B., Kroger, Rite-Aid, Sunmark and Topcare. Since the medication is sold under multiple brand names, parents are urged to carefully look at the packaging to determine whether their medicine has been recalled.

It can be difficult to overdose on children’s cough syrup, but it is still possible to do so. Guaifenesin is “minimally toxic,” according to Dr. Donna Seger, the medical director for Tennessee Poison Control. However, an overdose on guaifenesin could still have deleterious health effects, including muscle reflex problems, ataxia, dystonia, hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, tachycardia, irregular heartbeat, respiratory depression, seizures, coma and even death.

A Perrigo Company spokesperson said that the company encourages parents not to get creative when it comes to administering the medication without a dosage cup. Instead, said the spokesperson, parents should simply throw away the dosing cups – especially because cold medications and cough syrup tend to be easy for children to access. In the event that a child has already consumed the cough syrup and is experiencing any negative side effects, the child’s parents should immediately contact a medical professional or a poison control center.

The cough syrup recall is voluntary, which means that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to get involved. However, if any children suffer illnesses or injuries due to accidental overdosing on the cough medication, it is possible that the government could issue a mandatory recall.

To learn more about the children’s cough syrup recall, view the Yahoo.com article, “Children’s Cough Syrup Recall: What Parents Should Know.”

 

If you or a loved one was injured or suffered an illness as a result of defective medication, faulty labeling or any other product manufacturing error, it is imperative that you speak with a qualified personal injury and product liability attorney. The knowledgeable product liability lawyers at LaDuca Law Firm are prepared to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation at our office in Rochester, New York.