The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7176 p778-781
1 December 2001

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  Remuneration
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Letters to the Editor

Paracetamol

Overdose deaths fall dramatically

From Dr G. Brandon

Paracetamol overdose mortality figures for 2000 show a marked reduction on previous years with the lowest mortality for nearly 20 years. The Paracetamol Information Centre researches all reported paracetamol deaths to determine those actually due to, or probably due to, hepatic necrosis; and, together with other criteria, determines a figure as accurate as possible for deaths caused by paracetamol overdose, based on the returns to the Registrar General (data from Office for National Statistics).

Figures for 2000 show that total deaths attributed to paracetamol overdose have fallen by nearly 20 per cent to 94 deaths compared with 116 in 1999 and 144 in 1998.

It is possible that this welcome fall is at least in part due to the restrictions on pack sizes set out by the Medicines Control Agency and in force since September 1998.

Geoffrey Brandon
Director
Paracetamol Information Centre

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