Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri warns against wrong use of cough medicines.

Canberra: Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri this week warned against wrong use of the cough medicines.

“Cough medicine removed over pholcodine causing anaphylactic reactions – Pl(ease) check the ingredients of your cough medicine as pholcodine has been found to be potentially life threatening,” he tweeted.

Dozens of popular over-the-counter cough syrups and lozenges have been ordered off Australian shelves due to a potentially life-threatening ingredient.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has cancelled 55 products containing pholcodine from the Australian Register of Therapeutic goods.

Pholcodine is found in 55 products including Codral, Bisolvon and Benadryl dry cough syrups sold across Australia.

The TGA said a safety investigation found an increased risk of anaphylactic reactions to certain medicines used as a muscle relaxant during general anaesthesia.

The TGA is aware of 50 reports in Australia where a person is suspected to have had a pholcodine-related anaphylactic reaction to the neuromuscular blockers during general anaesthesia.