Popular teething gel to be taken off the market after warnings
A popular teething gel is being discontinued after SA Health issued a warning it could cause harm to children.
WCH Teething Gel, found at the Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH), will no longer be produced due to the ingredient 'lidocaine'.
Deputy Director of Pharmacy at the WCH Usha Ritchie said revised recommendations from national and international medicines organisations have led to the decision to discontinue the product.
“International and Australian medicines organisations warn against using the local anaesthetic lidocaine in products for infant teething," Richie said.
She says the recommendations come after a "small number of incidents" overseas where overconsumption of lidocaine led to babies and children being harmed.
“We know there have been a number of presentations to the WCH emergency department linked to the consumption of too much lidocaine from teething gel, however no children in South Australia have had any serious adverse effects," she said.
Associate Nurse Unit Manager at Cowandilla Child and Family Health Services (CaFHS) Natasha Clark says there are alternatives to help soothe an unsettled baby.
“Simple ways we recommend to soothe a child include using teething rings, a cold cloth to bite or something safe to chew on," she said.
This article first appeared on 7News
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