An over-the-counter medicine used to fight indigestion for generations has fallen foul of EU rules because it contains too much sulphate.
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| Manufacture of Milk of Magnesia stopped last autumn, leaving only a backlog of supplies to be sold |
Milk of Magnesia is selling for 10 times the £2 a bottle retail price on the
auction website eBay.
Manufacture of the liquid stopped in last autumn, leaving only a backlog of
supplies to be sold. The eBay price has risen as stockpiles have dwindled.
GlaxoSmithKline, which makes the medicine, is looking at modifying the
recipe, a solution of magnesium hydroxide, so that it contains less than 0.5
per cent sulphate, the new legal limit.
“People my age group would swear by it,” said Margaret Taylor, from
Ramsbottom, Lancs. “The EU needs to back off. Like millions of others, I
used it on my children and they’re all walking around fine. Mum knows best,
not those suited bigwigs in Europe.”
A GSK spokesman said: “Recent testing showed that one of the ingredients in
the product was not compliant with the European Pharmacopaeia sulphate limit
test of 0.5 per cent.
“While there is no safety issue for consumers, GSK has put stock on hold until
this situation is resolved.
“We are working to make it available as quickly as possible.”
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