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. 

🚨#CofeprisAlerta 🚨

Sobre falsificación de tres analgésicos y tres antigripales.

👉https://t.co/qGX5J3W6B7 pic.twitter.com/3QcAJpEz6D

— COFEPRIS (@COFEPRIS) September 9, 2024

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