The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has started a review of medicines that contain pholcodine following concerns that their use may put people at risk of developing anaphylactic reactions (a sudden, severe and life-threatening allergic reaction) to certain medicines called neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA). Pholcodine is used to treat non-productive (dry) cough in adults and children and NMBAs are used in general anaesthesia to prevent spontaneous muscle movements to improve operating conditions.
The review was requested by the French medicines agency (ANSM) following preliminary results of a study (ALPHO) carried out in France1. The results of the study suggested that taking pholcodine up to 12 months before general anaesthesia may increase the risk of having an NMBA-related anaphylactic reaction. Based on these results ANSM is considering, as a precautionary measure, to suspend the use of pholcodine-containing medicines in France…
