Is Saridon Safe or Not?

As a Work-at-Home Mom, I usually spend 10-16 hours a day in the internet with the main purpose of doing my online job, keeping in touch with family and friends on social networking sites, and keeping myself updated with information relevant to my daily life.

I am the kind of person who check facts and get details first with the help of search engines like Google before deciding to purchase and consume a product. I have a bad eyesight which causes frequent headaches; and while searching for a safe and reliable alternative to Biogesic (the brand I usually use), I come across several articles about Saridon which obviously piqued my interest.

About Saridon

I am not familiar with Saridon, as I don't even see, hear or read about it from the tri-media and this is actually the first time I read about the brand.

According to Wikipedia, Saridon is an over-the-counter (OTC) drug distributed by Bayer Philippines for the relief of mild to severe headache, toothache, menstrual discomfort, postoperative and rheumatic pain, and for pain and fever associated with colds and flu.

It is first launched in the 1930s but was discontinued because one of its original ingredients was found to cause cancer. It was later reformulated by Bayer Indonesia in the early 2000s and is now being sold here in the Philippines.

Suspicions about Saridon

Suspicion #1: It is unsafe to use. - The original formulation with phenacetin as one of its main ingredients was discontinued decades ago. Its reformulated version contains Propyphenazone (feared to be a derivative of phenacetin) which on the other hand, has been associated with a blood disorder called Blood Dyscrasias.

Suspicion #2: Consumers from the Visayas and Mindanao areas are being used as a test market. - Again, it's the safety issue. Saridon has been banned in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea and Turkey but being sold in our country at a very low price. And if it really is safe, why was it initially being distributed and sold in the VisMin areas only? What if the people living in these regions are actually a test market, to determine whether the product is safe for a larger target market?

Suspicion #3: Restricted information - Why is it so hard to find complete information about Saridon in the internet? Their Facebook page contains no helpful information at all. I can find their TVCs in Youtube but again, it doesn't have the details I need. I actually couldn't find anything about its safety that I can consider as FACT. Are they restricting information that would justify Suspicion #2? I hope not.

My Take on This Issue

Suspicions might be true or false. But it will really make a difference if Bayer Philippines would take the initiative to provide people with the exact information (FACTS) they need about the drug's safety. This shouldn't be so hard to do, as they can easily setup an official website or a Facebook page and interact with their consumers. If they really want a bigger chunk of the market, this will even be beneficial for them because they can gain loyal followers thru honest and responsive social interaction. Moreover, they shouldn't forget their responsiblity to keep consumers updated and properly informed.

The Department of Health (DOH) and Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) should also closely monitor this issue. They should not allow questionable medicines to be consumed by the general public, especially now that Saridon has been launched and is being sold nationwide.

I, as a consumer, would greatly appreciate if the abovementioned agencies can shed light into this issue and let the country know whether Propyphenazone is safe or not.

Additional Readings about Saridon

Wazzup? Pilipinas!