The Therapeutic Goods Administration has today confirmed that cough mixtures containing pholcodine are being cancelled from the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.

The dramatic move follows a safety investigation which found a link between pholcodine-containing medicines and an increased risk of anaphylactic reactions to certain medicines used as muscle relaxants during general anaesthesia.

TGA chief John Skerritt said it was difficult to reliably predict which patients might be affected, and some people may not know if they have taken pholcodine medicines at all.

More details in tomorrow's issue of Pharmacy Daily.