Drug bosses have urged the public to be vigilant after four brands of cough syrup sold by supermarkets including Tesco and Asda were recalled due to “contamination”.
The warning came as part of an alert sent by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of Britain’s medicines safety watchdog.
He said brands of cough syrup made by Bells Healthcare were being recalled because “foreign material” was detected in some bottles.
The alert did not include more details about what the contamination is or if it represents any danger to people.
The affected products include over-the-counter medicines sold by supermarkets Tesco Health Dry Cough Relief and Asda Strong Dry Tickly Cough.
The other two are Almus Dry Cough Relief and Bells Dual Action Dry Cough. All products are sold in 200 ml bottles.
Batches of products were distributed between September 2022 and November last year, meaning the public could have purchased some.
The MHRA said the recall was carried out on a precautionary basis and was based on a single customer complaint and that “investigation and analysis remains ongoing”.
The affected products include a medicine sold by Tesco called Tesco Health Dry Cough Relief 200ml

Asda Strong Dry Tickly Cough is another product affected by the recall
He instructed pharmacists, healthcare professionals and retailers to “immediately” stop supplying the product to the public.
The regulator also warned the public that they should be “vigilant” about any visible contamination and contact a health professional if they have any concerns.
All of the affected products contain the active ingredient dextromethorphan hydrobromide, a medication designed to suppress the cough that accompanies illnesses such as the cold or flu.
While it does not treat the cause of the cough, directly suppressing it can help people fall asleep and recover.
Complete list of products and their expiration dates:
Tesco Health Dry Cough Relief 200ml
Lot number/expiration date:
235B1 01/09/2025
240C3 03/01/2026

All cough syrups contain the active ingredient dextromethorphan hydrobromide, a drug designed to suppress the cough that accompanies illnesses such as the cold or flu. stock image
242C1 01/07/2026
245C3 01/09/2026
Asda Strong Dry Cough Tickle 200ml
Lot number/expiration date:
236B1 01/12/2025
240C2 03/01/2026
243C1 01/08/2026
245C2 01/09/2026
246C1 01/11/2027
247D1 01/02/2027
248D1 01/04/2027
250D1 01/07/2027


Two other products included in the recall are Almus Dry Cough Relief (right) and Bells Dual Action Dry Cough (left).
Almus Dry Cough Relief
Lot number/expiration date:
249D1 01/06/2027
Double Action Dry Cough Bells
Lot number/expiration date:
237C1 01/01/2026
238C1 01/01/2026
239C1 01/01/2026
242C2 07/01/2026
243C2 01/08/2026