The public and people in the pharmaceutical sector have been urged to carefully check the printed labels of Nurofen Plus products before dispensing or taking the painkillers.

It has been found that some packs have mistakenly had the schizophrenia medication Seroquel XL inserted into them, potentially affecting thousands of products.

Three cases have been identified so far- all in south London - but wrongly labelled Nurofen Plus could have been sent to pharmacies all over the UK.

The batch numbers affected are 13JJ, 57JJ and 49JJ and anyone who thinks they may have taken painkillers from the affected packs is advised to see a doctor.

Reckitt Benckiser from Nurofen Plus said "serious investigations" are underway to ascertain how Seroquel XL blister packs came to be in the firm's packaging, but sabotage has not been ruled out.

Nurofen was launched in August 1983 and is now owned by Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare (UK).

Denny Bros Ltd, 26 August 2011