Parabens are a group of preservatives that are broadly used in oral pharmaceutical preparations. They effectively prevent the growth of microorganisms.
Although parabens have been used in many medicines in the EU market for a very long time, their use is associated with certain health-risks in humans and should be avoided whenever possible as stated in guidelines by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).1 For propyl paraben, no acceptable oral daily intake has been assigned by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) in children: “propyl paraben should not be used in paediatric medicines for neonates, infants and small children. Not even in the short term”.2
There are still many commercially available oral liquid vehicles that contain these preservatives. Fagron’s suspending vehicle SyrSpend® SF does not contain any parabens or other unwanted excipients and is therefore suitable for a broad group of patients, including children.
1Kozarewicz P, European Medicines Agency. Preservatives, are they safe? May 31st 2010
2European Commission (Scientific Committee). Parabens used in cosmetics. October 2011