Patients urged to check blood pressure medication after labelling error

Patients who take a common blood pressure medicine have been urged to check their medication after a labelling error.

The agency responsible for making sure UK medicines are safe has advised anyone who takes Lercanidipine HCI 20mg tablets (lercanidipine hydrochloride) from manufacturer Recordati Pharmaceuticals Limited to check their batch number. Those who take the medicine should "urgently" check if they have batch number MD4L07 with an expiry date of 01/2028 as a precautionary measure, the agency says.

The warning comes after the manufacturer informed the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of an error in the strength of the product which was printed on packaging. The error, where packs are incorrectly labelled as 10mg when they are actually 20mg tablets, is limited to one batch.

The correct strength is printed on the top of the carton and on the blister strips, but the company has issued a recall of the specified batch as a precaution. Patients who are prescribed 10mg tablets with the batch number have been told to contact their GP or pharmacist immediately, or call 111 if they cannot be reached.

Any patient who cannot speak to a healthcare professional before their next dose is due should first verify if the tablets are 20mg and, if so, snap the tablet in half across the break line as a temporary measure, according to the MHRA. Read more from Sky News:Former Rochdale footballer dies aged 36Two Britons among four killed in cable car crash Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA's chief safety officer said patient safety was the agency's "top priority".

"We ask patients to check their medicine packaging and follow our advice," she said. "Healthcare professionals such as pharmacists are also being asked to stop supplying medicine from the affected batch and to return it to the supplier." Any patients who are suspected to have experienced adverse reactions have been asked to report them via the MHRA's yellow card scheme..