Cough medicines sold in Tesco and Asda have been recalled from suppliers over “foreign material detected in some bottles”.
Over-the-counter drug manufacturer Bells Healthcare is investigating after a customer reported contamination in a product.
A Class 2 medicines recall notice published by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency listed four affected products.
They were certain batches of Tesco Health Dry Cough Relief 200ml, Asda Strong Dry Tickly Cough 200ml, Almus Dry Cough Relief and Bells Dual Action Dry Cough.
Retailers were instructed to stop supplying the listed batches immediately and to quarantine all remaining stock and return it to their supplier.
Patients do not need to return the products but were advised to “be vigilant for any visible contamination and contact a healthcare professional if they have any concerns related to the product”.
The notice added: “Patients who experience adverse reactions or have any questions about the medication, should seek medical attention.”
The affected products all contain dextromethorphan hydrobromide, which is used to temporarily relieve coughs caused by the common cold, flu or other respiratory conditions.
The medicine can help ease a cough but does not treat the underlying cause.
Recent NHS figures suggest flu cases appear to have peaked for this winter after a difficult few weeks which saw several hospitals declare critical incidents.
However, NHS chiefs have warned hospitals are “not out of the woods yet” and remain “jam-packed”.
Almost 5,000 patients remained in England's hospitals with flu according to the latest data.
And 96% of all adult general and acute hospital beds were occupied – more than at any point so far this winter.