Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Cofepris issues alert on counterfeit painkillers and flu medicines

The national health regulator Cofepris issued warnings to the public about counterfeit lots of six painkillers and flu medicines produced by the pharmaceutical company Bayer on Monday.

The Cofepris’ alert concerns batches of the following brand-name drugs: Cafiaspirina, Aspirina, Aspirina Protec, Desenfriol D, Desenfriol-Ito Plus and Tabcin Noche. According to Cofepris, it received notice of the counterfeit medications from Bayer. Cofrepis previously warned about the falsification of Aspirina Protec in 2023. 

The counterfeit medications pose risks to public health due to the lack of information about their manufacturing conditions, handling and storage. Thus, their safety, quality and effectiveness are not guaranteed, the health regulator said.

Irregularities in medications affect the following batches: 

Cafiaspirina: Batch X24PJT containing 24 and 100 tablets, and with the expiration date DIC/24. The batch does not contain the active ingredient and both the batch number and the expiration date were intended for other products.

Batch X24JF6 containing 100 tablets was originally assigned to another product.

Aspirina: Batch X24PJT containing 100 tablets, with the expiration date DIC/24, and batch X23SGA, which shows two expiration dates (FEB/24 and FEB/26). The correct expiration date is FEB/22. 

Aspirina Protec: Batch BTAGXAG containing 28 tablets, with the expiration date DIC 2024. It does not contain the active ingredient, and its batch number is not recognized by the company.  

Batch BT17US3 containing 28 tablets with expiration date 08/31/2024. This expiration date corresponds to another product.  

Desenfriol D: Batch X293F0 containing 30 pills with the expiration date DIC/25 does not contain the active ingredient and does not appear in Bayer’s system. 

Desenfriol-Ito Plus: Batch X293F0 with the expiration date DIC/25 does not contain the active ingredient.

Batch X25198, with the expiration date DIC/24 containing 24 capsules, is not recognized by the company. 

Batch X255FP with the expiration date DIC/26. The correct expiration date is MAR/24.

Tabcin Noche: Batch X24TLD, with the expiration date 21/ABR/26 containing 12 capsules, was not recognized by Bayer.

Cofepris called on consumers to carefully check lot numbers and expiration dates before purchasing these painkillers and flu medicines. It also urged residents against buying medicines from informal vendors.

Mexico News Daily

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
In a video announcing the appointment of Edgar Amador Zamora, President Sheinbaum described the departing finance minister (L) Rogelio Ramírez de la O as Mexico's "best economist."

Sheinbaum appoints Amador as finance minister after Ramírez steps down

1
Former Bank of Mexico adviser Edgar Amador will be Mexico's new finance minister, though Rogelio Ramírez de la O will continue to advise the president on international affairs.
Dusty, abandoned backpacks and shoes at a secret crematorium in Jalisco

Search collective calls on authorities to investigate a grisly find in Jalisco

1
Volunteer searchers have uncovered three clandestine crematoriums in Jalisco, containing burnt remains, a list of apparent missing persons and 200 shoes.
Each year, large quantities of sargassum contaminate Mexico's southeastern beaches.

UNAM researchers develop drywall from sargassum

1
UNAM researchers have invented a way to repurpose the seaweed — 23 to 25 million tonnes of which could wash ashore in Mexico this year — as the principal component for drywall.