THE IRISH MEDICINE Board is investigating a case where packs of an over-the-counter painkiller were found to contain an anti-psychotic drug instead.

Pharmacies across the UK discovered they had packets of Nurofen Plus that contained blister packs of Seroquel XL 50mg.

Seroquel XL is an anti-psychotic drug used to treat conditions such as mania, bipolar depression and schizophrenia, and is prescription-only.

Nurofen Plus, however, is an over-the-counter painkiller that contains codeine.

The Irish Medicine Board is investigating the situation in Ireland, and told TheJournal.ie:

There is no evidence at present to suggest that any stocks in Ireland are affected.  The IMB is actively investigating the matter and is in communication with the concerned manufacturers as well as with the UK authorities. The IMB will continue to monitor the situation.

The Press Association reports that the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK said that the mix-up may have occurred at a wholesaler’s.

It believes that thousands of packs were affected but the three cases discovered so far were in London.

Seroquel XL and Nurofen Plus are manufactured by two different drug firms.