Medicines supplied without child-resistant caps – multiple brands

Return affected products to your pharmacy

Some medicines can be toxic to children and are required to be supplied in child-resistant packaging. When these medicines are supplied in bottles, they must have a child-resistant closure (cap).

Consumers and health professionals are advised that a number of different medicines are subject to recall actions because they have been supplied to the market in bottles without child-resistant caps (see below for links to alerts for those medicines).

Some of the products affected by these recall actions are essential medicines that cannot be suddenly ceased or substituted. As there are no replacement medicines available, a full recall would disrupt treatment for those patients. Therefore those medicines should be taken to a pharmacy so that the caps and/or bottles can be replaced with child-resistant versions.

The other products, for which replacement or alternative treatments are available, are subject to a full recall.

The affected products are:

• alprazolam (Xanax)
• cabergoline (Dostinex and Cabaser)
• mefenamic acid (Ponstan)
• methotrexate (Methoblastin)
• triazolam (Halcion)

Click on the above links for information on what you should do if you or someone you care for takes one of these medicines.

Consumers are reminded that all medicines should always be kept out of the reach of children, as stated on the product packaging.

(Source: Australian Government – Department of Health)