Authentic Reductil tablets can help treat obesity

The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it was asking for the return of batch number 65542 of counterfeit Reductil 15mg.

The drugs were discovered within the UK supply chain, the second such discovery in recent days.

Last week, counterfeit Cialis capsules, used to treat erectile dysfunction, were also discovered.

Prior to that, the last discovery of counterfeit drugs in the UK supply chain was in 1994.

However, the leading drug company Pfizer recently warned of the dangers of fake drugs entering the legitimate system.

It said this could happen because of "parallel packaging" - where drugs made in one country are repackaged for another.

Concerns

The MHRA said that initial tests on the fake Reductil tablets did not indicate that it posed an immediate risk to patients.

It advised anyone who had the product with the batch number 65542 anywhere on the pack should return it to where it was obtained.

Professor Kent Woods, chief executive of the MHRA, said: "Although the quality of counterfeit medicines cannot be guaranteed, there is no indication from testing of the counterfeit product that it poses an immediate risk to patients.

"If patients have any concerns about possible side effects they should discuss them with their doctor."

The MHRA said that no batches manufactured and distributed by Abbott Laboratories Ltd, the licence holder of the authentic Reductil tablets, were affected by this recall and there was no concern with the Abbott product.

David Pruce, Director of Practice and Quality Improvement at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, said: "We know that counterfeit medicines are a world-wide problem but prior to the identification of these two products, counterfeiting in the UK had been a rare occurrence.

"The society has been working with the MHRA through our team of Inspectors and we ask pharmacists to co-operate with the MHRA's investigation and to be alert for counterfeit medicines."