Illustration of liquid-medicine equipment, not the Sandoz product or its packaging.
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned about an incorrect professional dosing table for Sandoz co-amoxiclav 250/62.5 mg/5 mL powder for oral suspension. The table could lead to approximately twice the intended dose. The medicine’s quality is not affected; this is a prescribing-information defect, not a warning that every co-amoxiclav product is faulty.
The MHRA’s advice: continue taking the medicine as prescribed. If you believe you have taken or given a higher dose and have diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain, seek immediate medical advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber about any uncertainty. Do not calculate a replacement dose from this article.
Which Medicine Does the Notice Identify?
- Manufacturer: Sandoz Limited.
- Strength: 250 mg amoxicillin and 62.5 mg clavulanic acid per 5 mL after preparation.
- Product licence: PL 04416/0515.
- Scope: all batches of the specified product.
- Notice: EL(26)A/46, issued and updated on 5 November 2026.
The MHRA corrected an initially incorrect product-strength entry on its notice. Use the current official page, not an earlier screenshot. The defective table in section 4.2 of the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) was removed from the MHRA and electronic medicines compendium websites. The notice links to corrected information for healthcare professionals.
What Is Co-amoxiclav Used For?
Co-amoxiclav is a prescription penicillin antibiotic. NHS information describes its use for some bacterial ear, sinus, respiratory, skin and dental infections. It is available as tablets and liquid. The amount prescribed and the length of the course depend on the infection and the person being treated.
A professional dosing table is not the same thing as the individual instructions on a dispensing label. If the alert makes you unsure about your own bottle, ask the pharmacy to compare the exact product, concentration and prescribed amount. A photograph of the bottle and dispensing label can help you explain your question without relying on memory.
Why Not Work Out a New Dose at Home?
Liquid-medicine instructions combine a concentration with an amount measured in millilitres. A medicine name alone does not identify the right amount for an individual. The NHS advises checking the supplied information and asking a pharmacist or doctor when instructions are unclear. It also recommends measuring liquid co-amoxiclav with the syringe or spoon supplied with the medicine.
Children’s weight, the reason for treatment and kidney problems are matters for the prescribing team. Do not halve a prescribed amount merely because the notice mentions a doubled dose: the notice does not establish that your prescription was calculated using the faulty table. Ask for an individual check instead.
Why This Matters When You Have Diabetes
Antibiotic treatment and diabetes sick-day care are related but separate issues. Diabetes UK explains that infection and illness can raise blood glucose even when someone is eating less. Vomiting or diarrhoea may also lower glucose when food is not being eaten or absorbed normally. Fever and vomiting can contribute to dehydration.
Follow the illness plan your diabetes team has already given you, including your own instructions about glucose and ketone monitoring. Contact the team if you are unsure how to manage while unwell. This notice is not a new instruction to change insulin or other diabetes medicines.
Get medical help urgently if you cannot keep fluids down. Tell the healthcare professional about your diabetes, the infection being treated, your medicines and any suspected dosing error. Our Type 1 diabetes guide and Type 2 diabetes guide provide background, not a substitute for your personal illness plan.
Questions for Your Pharmacist or Prescriber
- Is my bottle the exact Sandoz strength and product licence in this notice?
- Can you check the prescribed amount against the current official information?
- What should I do if I have already given a dose and feel unwell?
- Who should I contact outside normal opening hours?
Keep the bottle, dispensing label and measuring device available when seeking advice. The priority is a clear, individual answer about the prescription, not changing treatment on the basis of a headline.