Study questions painkillers' safety for children

A painkiller commonly sold in New Zealand is causing side-effects such as acute kidney failure in children, according to a medical study.

A five-year study by researchers at Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne found the painkiller ibuprofen, commonly sold as Nurofen, caused children to vomit blood, suffer acute kidney failure and develop rashes.

The results have sparked calls by medical experts in New Zealand for parents to think hard before using Nurofen as a painkiller for children.

Nurofen belongs to a class of drugs called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Researchers looked at 754 adverse reactions to paracetamol, ibuprofen and new generation NSAIDs - called Cox-2 inhibitors among children aged 1 to 17.

The study, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, found 19 cases of reactions to NSAIDs, compared with six for paracetamol.

Professor Noel Cranswick, a hospital paediatrician and one of the study's authors, said Nurofen caused far more serious side-effects than paracetamol. The main reaction to paracetamol was a rash.

In New Zealand, liquid Nurofen can be bought from pharmacies. Other ibuprofen drugs in tablet form can be bought from some supermarkets.

New Zealand's Pharmacovigilance Centre has received 12 reports of suspected adverse reactions to ibuprofen in children aged 1 to 18 years since 1994. These included serious allergic reactions, bleeding from the stomach or intestines, kidney problems and palpitations. But the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners believes the problem is worse than the numbers suggest.

"Most parents may just think that vomiting or a tummy ache is part of the bug their child has rather than a reaction to ibuprofen so probably would not tell their doctor. Even if told, it's up to the doctor to decide if a reaction is serious enough to pass on," said college president Jonathan Fox. "...while [Nurofen) ... has its place, for me the safest drug for small children is paracetamol".

Dr Cameron Grant, a Starship Hospital paediatrician, said Nurofen was prescribed at Starship, but where there was any question about renal function or a severe bacterial infection it would not be used.

Boots Healthcare Australia, which produces Nurofen, is reviewing its labelling to include more rigorous weight-to-dosage ratios rather than relying on age.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY