As well as important information, this is a reminder that Australia is fortunate to have a service such as The Therapeutic Goods Administration.

We can have confidence in the health products and medicines available in Australia.

The TGA is just one part of a system constructed to make Australia a modern, first world country.

We do not have to endure prescription medicines being advertised directly to consumers, unlike in the USA. Direct advertising to consumers is banned. I am sure that is frustrating for some drug companies.

In the USA, advertisements along the lines of, ′Do you have a headache, and a itchy toe? See your doctor and check out XYZ disease. XXXXX drug treats XYZ with good results.′

You can imagine the resulting scenario in the doctor′s office, as fearful patients demand XYZ medicine and doctors fearing malpractice suits deal with the demands. We don’t have to put up with this pressure.

Australia has many progressive policies, systems and entities to give the 25 million of us the best chance of a decent life. However, Coalition attacks on these things has seen much suffering, misery, financial ruin and deaths. ROBODEBT is a case in point. The Coalition of the Liberal and National parties committed the worst act of bastardry in 100 years against thousands of vulnerable powerless citizens from the poorest class: social security recipients.

So we must protect the progressive, the fair, the humane, and the compassion of our society and its systems, and strive to strengthen these attributes.

Note: This recall information came fom a Disabilty Care agency.

See below from TGA:

Following a safety investigation by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), 55 products containing pholcodine are being cancelled from the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and those currently on pharmacy shelves are being recalled from pharmacies.

The cancellation and recall actions are being taken because of a link between pholcodine-containing medicines and an increased risk of anaphylactic reactions (a sudden, severe, and life-threatening allergic reaction) to certain medicines used as muscle relaxants during general anaesthesia (called neuromuscular blocking agents).

Pholcodine has been used in a wide range of over-the-counter pharmacy medicines to treat non-productive (dry) cough, particularly in syrups and lozenges. It is also used in combination with other medicines in products that treat the symptoms of cold and flu. 

Below is the list of medications being recalled:

What products are covered by the recall?

Here is the full list of recalled products, as supplied to the ABC by the Therapeutic Goods Administration:

• APOHEALTH DRY TICKLY COUGH RELIEF pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle (new formulation)
• APOHEALTH DRY TICKLY COUGH RELIEF FORTE pholcodine 4mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• APOHEALTH DRY TICKLY COUGH RELIEF pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• CHEMISTS’ OWN DRY TICKLY COUGH FORTE pholcodine 4mg/mL oral liquid bottle (new formulation)
• CHEMISTS’ OWN DRY COUGH FORTE pholcodine 3mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• CHEMISTS’ OWN DRY COUGH REGULAR pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• CHEMISTS’ OWN DRY COUGH pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• APOHEALTH DRY COUGH RELIEF PE & NASAL DECONGESTANT oral liquid bottle
• BLOOMS THE CHEMIST DRY COUGH RELIEF & NASAL DECONGESTANT PE oral liquid bottle
• CHEMISTS’ OWN KIDDICOL FOR CHILDREN COUGH & COLD oral liquid bottle
• CHEMISTS’ OWN DRY COUGH PLUS NASAL DECONGESTANT PE oral liquid bottle
• CHEMISTS’ OWN KIDDICOL CHILDREN’S COUGH MIXTURE oral liquid bottle
• LOGICIN DRY COUGH pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• DURO-TUSS DRY COUGH LIQUID FORTE pholcodine 3mg/mL oral liquid bottle (new formulation)
• DURO-TUSS DRY COUGH LIQUID 6 YEARS+ pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle (New Formula)
• DURO-TUSS DRY COUGH LOZENGES lemon flavour blister pack
• DIFFLAM PLUS DRY COUGH + ANTIBACTERIAL + ANTI-INFLAMMATORY pineapple lime flavour lozenge blister pack
• DIFFLAM PLUS DRY COUGH + ANTIBACTERIAL + ANTI-INFLAMMATORY honey lemon ginger flavour lozenge blister pack
• DURO-TUSS DRY COUGH LIQUID PLUS NASAL DECONGESTANT oral liquid bottle
• DURO-TUSS DRY COUGH LOZENGES orange flavour blister pack
• DURO-TUSS COUGH LIQUID EXPECTORANT oral liquid bottle
• DURO-TUSS PE DRY COUGH LIQUID + NASAL DECONGESTANT oral liquid bottle
• DIFFLAM PLUS DRY COUGH + ANTIBACTERIAL + ANTI-INFLAMMATORY blackcurrant flavour lozenge blister pack
• BENADRYL DRY, TICKLY COUGH FORTE pholcodine 4mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• CODRAL DRY COUGH FORTE STRENGTH pholcodine 4mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• PRICELINE PHARMACY DRY COUGH RELIEF pholcodine 5mg/5mL oral liquid bottle
• PHARMACY HEALTH DRY COUGH RELIEF pholcodine 5mg/5mL oral liquid bottle
• TERRYWHITE CHEMMART DRY COUGH RELIEF pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• TERRYWHITE CHEMMART DRY COUGH FORTE pholcodine 4mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• PHARMACY CHOICE PHOLCODINE DRY FORTE 4mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• PRICELINE PHARMACY DRY TICKLY COUGH MIXTURE pholcodine 1mg/mL bottle
• PHARMACY HEALTH DRY TICKLY COUGH MIXTURE pholcodine 1mg/mL bottle
• SOUL PATTINSON DRY TICKLY COUGH MEDICINE pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• PHARMACY CHOICE DRY COUGH RELIEF FORTE pholcodine 20mg/5mL oral liquid bottle
• PHARMACY CHOICE DRY COUGH RELIEF pholcodine 5mg/5 mL oral liquid bottle
• TERRYWHITE CHEMMART DRY COUGH RELIEF FORTE pholcodine 20mg/5mL oral liquid bottle
• NOUMED DRY COUGH LIQUID FORTE pholcodine 4mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• NOUMED DRY COUGH LIQUID pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• PHARMACY CHOICE DRY TICKLY COUGH MEDICINE pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• TERRYWHITE CHEMMART DRY COUGH RELIEF pholcodine 5mg/5mL oral liquid bottle
• AMCAL DRY COUGH FORTE pholcodine 4mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• AMCAL DRY COUGH MIXTURE pholcodine 1mg/mL oral liquid bottle
• PHARMACY HEALTH DRY COUGH RELIEF FORTE pholcodine 4mg/mL oral liquid bottle

Now let ponder on how fortunate we in Australiaare in a chaotic and unfair world, and remember that the biggest threat we have is corruption.