Medicine mix-up turns 16 kids into WEREWOLVES

BRITS holidaying in Spain could be confronted by “werewolves” after contaminated medicine gave 16 youngsters hairy faces.

The children developed hypertrichosis – or werewolf syndrome – after taking a formula tainted with hairloss remedy minoxidil.

The condition causes excess hair to grow all over the body.

Medics discovered the problem after children given omeprazole – used for indigestion – began to sprout locks.

Research showed the medicine had been tainted with a drug designed to combat alopecia.

The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products ordered several batches of omeprazole from Malagabased pharmaceutical firm FarmaQuímica Sur SL to be taken out of circulation last month.

The children’s hair growth subsided when they stopped taking the medicine. But parents have been advised to seek medical help if their child has been given the formula.

The Spanish medical agency pulled the first batch off the market last month when 13 cases of werewolf syndrome were reported. Another three emerged at the start of this month when another batch of the medicine was pulled from shelves. Officials believe the contamination could have affected 30 pharmacies in Andalucia, Spain – a hotspot for British tourists – and more than 50 batches of the drug. Farma-Química Sur has had its licence suspended.

The pharmaceuticals company has a supplier in India and Spanish newspapers have reported the contamination happened at source.