Children grow body hair from alleged drug mix-up in Spain
Spain’s health ministry has said at least 20 children from the age of a few weeks to two years have been affected.
Parents of babies and toddlers in Spain who have developed abnormal body hair plan to sue a pharmaceutical company that put a treatment for hair loss into packages meant for addressing acid reflux and other conditions.
Spanish health authorities have blamed the Minoxidil mix-up on Farma-Quimica Sur.
They say the well-known topical treatment was put in packaging that was supposed to contain a syrup with omeprazole, which is used for stomach problems.
Spain’s health ministry has said at least 20 children from the age of a few weeks to two years have been affected.
The mother of one of the children, a 10-month old baby, told The Associated Press that families were preparing to file a joint lawsuit against Farma-Quimica Sur.
Angela Martinez said the family doctor prescribed omeprazole syrup in January to treat her son Uriel’s acidy stomach. The baby began growing darker hair in March, about a month after she gave him the syrup, she said.
By early April, Uriel had hair covering almost all his body except for the abdomen and parts of his hands and feet. She questioned why the first concerns were reported in April but authorities did not recall the medicine until July.
“Had he not grown hair, we would have probably continued to give him the syrup,” said Ms Martinez.
Although some of the babies are already losing the excess hair and experts have said all of it should fall out eventually, some families also were warned of possible long-term side effects.
The company has been closed down pending an official probe.
