Skin bleach pulled from NZ shelves

The country's medicines and medical devices safety authority has recalled a skin bleach banned in the European Union that's been linked with cancer in lab rats.

Medsafe has instructed the distributor to pull products containing the controversial skin whitener, hydroquinone, from wholesale and retail outlets.

An investigation by the Sunday Star-Times in April highlighted sales of the drug may be breaching medicines regulations.

The medicine had been sold inadvertently over the counter by national beauty chain Caci since 2004, as well as by Trade Me. While hydroquinone is classified as a pharmacy-only medicine, Medsafe said last month no products containing the drug had been approved for sale here.

Medsafe compliance management branch manager Derek Fitzgerald said popular pharmacy brand John Plunkett's Superfade was included in the recall.

"They are no longer supplying Superfade. But there could still be Superfade in the retail chains at the moment. If it hasn't already happened, it will happen shortly."

Superfade has been sold in New Zealand for about 15 years.

There have been no reported adverse reactions to its use here and marketer Pharmabroker Sales, which started marketing and distributing the product late last year, said it was growing in popularity.

Pharmabroker Sale's Warren Smith said the recall was not a big deal and the Australian supplier of Superfade would submit an application to have it registered in New Zealand.

The recall would mean the product would be off the shelves for probably a couple of years, he said.

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Skin bleach pulled from NZ shelves