Science Media Centre

Using paracetamol, one of the mainstays of over-the-counter pain relief, during pregnancy has been linked to the development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children, according to new research. The University of Auckland study, published today in the journal PLOS ONE, found that self-reported paracetamol use by pregnant women was linked to development of […]

The New Zealand Government has followed through on a proposal, foreshadowed in August, to ban giving cough and cold medicines to children under the age of six. The recommendation, from the Cough and Cold Review Group of Medsafe,  mirrors policies adopted by Governments in Britain and Canada. “After full consideration of the data, the Group […]

Giving children paracetamol during their first year of life can increase their risk of developing asthma according to new research to be published in Lancet. Lancet podcast with Dr Richard Beasley, director of the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand and co-author of the research. Currently over 600,000 New Zealaners have asthma and the incidence […]