LAUSR

lidocaine used for teething in babies and children can now only be sold in pharmacies.1 The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said that pharmacists were best placed to provide guidance and support when babies and children were teething or if there were concerns about babies’ health. The new advice follows a MHRA review which also recommended that the administration instructions and safety warnings should be updated. The MHRA review concluded there was a lack of evidence of benefit to using products containing lidocaine for teething before non-medicinal options. The evidence of any risk associated with these products was very small given the wide usage of these medicines. A pharmacist or healthcare professional could provide appropriate guidance, said the agency. The advice says that these medicines should only be used when non-medicinal options do not provide necessary relief. It adds that teething is a natural process and lidocaine containing teething products such as teething gels should only be used as a second line of treatment after discussion with and guidance of a healthcare professional. Dr Sarah Branch, Deputy Director of MHRA’s Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines (VRMM) Division said: ‘Our review showed there is a lack of evidence of benefit to using teething gels. To help babies and children with teething, parents and caregivers should try non-medicine options such as rubbing or massaging the gums or a teething ring.’ President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Ash Soni said: ‘It’s natural for parents to be concerned if their baby is experiencing discomfort with sore gums when teething. A local pharmacist can provide parents and caregivers of teething babies with expert advice and recommend the best course of treatment. Your pharmacist is always a good first port of call for any common condition your child develops.’