Boots has urgently recalled one of its own-brand paracetamol from shelves over a ‘packaging error’.
The high street pharmacy stuck a ‘do not take’ alert on a batch of its 500mg tablets.
It is feared the drug, which costs under £1, was packaged incorrectly and could contain aspirin which can be dangerous for some patients.
However, Boots, which published the alert today, said it was unclear whether the product actually contains aspirin or if it was simply labelled incorrectly.
The recall only impacts one batch of its 16-pack tablets with the item code 81-99-922 and an expiry date of December 2029.
The retailer added: ‘The supplier is currently conducting a full investigation. Please do not take this product.
It added customers can return the product to their local store for a full refund.
Batch and expiry information can be found on the top of the pack where it is opened.
High street pharmacy giant, Boots, stuck a ‘do not take’ alert on a batch of its 500mg tablets
It is feared the drug, which costs under £1, contains incorrect packaging mistakenly labelling it as aspirin
The item code is located between the barcode and the Boots logo on the side.
‘For more information please contact Boots Customer Care Team on 0800 915 0004,’ Boots said.
While paracetamol and aspirin are both effective painkillers, aspirin is not suitable to take for people with certain health conditions or allergies to the drug.
Aspirin is taken once a day in low doses of 75mg to 100mg by millions as a preventive therapy for circulatory diseases like heart attack and stroke as well as cancers, and by countless others in high doses (300mg and above) for pain, headache and fever.
But the NHS says you should only take daily low-dose aspirin if your doctor recommends it.
This is because of how aspirin helps to stop blood from clotting, which as a side effect, can make people bleed more easily.
For this reason, medics advise patients taking blood thinning medications, like warfarin, to avoid taking aspirin.
The NHS also warns that taking aspirin regularly can cause ulcers in the gut by damaging the stomach and intestinal lining.
Pregnant women are also advised to be cautious about taking aspirin with paracetamol the recommended the first choice of painkiller for pregnant women.
This is because high dose aspirin can affect the baby’s circulation.
