This month, Novartis Consumer Healthcare announced that due to variations in quality it has been decided to withdraw the Pulmex Baby ointment against cough and airway infections from the market. It was the classic recommendation for infants and children between 6 months and 3 years. This decision was made after a few weeks of Pulmex Baby having run out. The announcement explains that it would not be possible to offer Pulmex Baby at a reasonable price at the quality standard expected.
Pharmacists now recommend an an ointment which was on the Swiss market some time ago and now is available again: Liberol® Baby N. It contains the essential oils of eucalyptus, mountain pine, star anise and juniper oil and just like Pulmex Baby is a topical application and can be rubbed on the skin. It does not contain menthol or camphor which in young children can cause a spasm of the vocal cords (laryngospasm). Liberol Baby N can be used on infants from day 1. Do not use Liberol® Baby N in case of sensitivity to any of its ingredients. For more information about Liberol Baby N visit Doetsch Grether AG website (in English).
What else should you know?
Alternatively, many parents consider using Vicks VapoRub as a rub on the chest. On the Swiss market, only WICK VapoRub Erkältungssalbe containing levomenthol, camphor, turpentine oil, and eucalyptus oil is available and this is not recommended for children under 2 years as a rub or under 6 years for inhalation for the mentioned reasons In other markets, there is also a paediatric version called Vicks BabyRub available containing the essential oils of eucalyptus, rosemary, and lavender. This can be used for babies 3 months and older.
Posted on December 13, 2013 by Luitgard Holzleg
This entry was posted in Blog and tagged baby, BabyRub, camphor, cough, eucalyptus, infants, levomenthol, Liberol, menthol, Novartis, ointment, Pulmex, Pulmex Baby, turpentine oil, Vaporub, Vicks, Wick. Bookmark the permalink.