Health Canada Suspects Tampering with Materna Prenatal Vitamins

Yesterday, Health Canada sent out an advisory, warning pregnant woman in Canada, to verify their Centrum Materna prenatal vitamins, and its packaging carefully before purchasing, as tampering is suspected.

One bottle of the prenatal multivitamin at Shopper’s Drug Mart in Winnipeg, Manitoba has been found to contain unidentified capsules instead of the proper Materna multivitamins, which are pink, oval-shaped tablets. The box was sealed, however the seal on the bottle itself had been removed.

Here are photos of what the Materna multivitamins should look like, as well as its protective packaging. If you find the seal of the product open, or you find capsules in the bottle instead of the pink tablets, do not use the product, and report it to Health Canada immediately. If you are unsure, consult your pharmacist.

 

While at this time, this is the only incident of its type involving Centrum Materna multivitamins (and hopefully the last), Health Canada is working with Pfizer and Shopper’s DrugMart to investigate the incident and will update Canadians with new information as it emerges.

If you currently use this product, especially in Winnipeg, Manitoba, please be extra vigilant while purchasing. We take these multivitamins to ensure health and strength in our babies, not to harm them. The fact that anyone would even consider tampering with them is disgusting, and we hope this remains the only case. 

For more information, visit the Health Canada website.

Health Advisory

Following a release issued by the United States Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada is warning parents of premature babies not to feed their child the medicinal supplement, Simply Thick, after 2 unfortunate cases of infant deaths have been linked to the product in the U.S.

Simply Thick is a thickening agent that can be added to liquids such as breast milk or infant formula in order to make them easier to swallow, and is often used for premature infants, to help with swallowing difficulties. It is believed to be the cause of 15 cases of infant necrotizing enterocolitis, which is a serious, and potentially fatal condition that causes inflammation and cell death in the intestines.

The Government of Canada is not currently aware of any similar illnesses in Canada linked to this product, however they are working with US FDA on this issue and are investigating whether there have been any related cases in Canada.

Babies born before 37 weeks are particularly at risk. Health Canada is advising everyone not to feed Simply Thick to premature infants. If you are currently using this product, please stop immediately and contact your health care provider.

For further information visit the Health Canada or the Public Health Agency of Canada websites.