Man charged in Nurofen Plus sabotage case

A 30-year-old man from Bromley in South London, UK, has been charged as part of the ongoing investigation into the adulteration of Nurofen Plus packs with drugs for schizophrenia and epilepsy.

Unemployed Christopher McGuire, of no fixed abode, was arrested on Friday and charged the following day of one count of contaminating goods and two counts of administering a noxious substance.

A recall of around 250,000 packs of Reckitt Benckiser's pharmacy-only painkiller Nurofen Plus (ibuprofen plus codeine tablets) was launched last month following reports that some may contain AstraZeneca's antipsychotic drug Seroquel XL 50mg (quetiapine) or Pfizer's epilepsy treatment Neurontin (gabapentin).

At the time, the company suggested that the contamination may have been a result of deliberate sabotage, although the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was also examining whether the mix-up could have occurred as a result of left over medicines being returned to pharmacies and wholesalers and repacked.

McGuire is due to appear at the City of Westminster Magistrates Court tomorrw (September 26).