Why was Bex taken off the market?

Generations of Australians had sworn by Bex, but the analgesics were banned after they were linked to kidney disease.

When was Bex banned Australia?

Some housewives took as many as three doses a day of the powder that could be dissolved in water or a cup of tea to help them get through the day. When they were linked to high rates of kidney disease, the over the counter medications were banned in 1977.

What was in APC powders?

From the mid-1950s thousands of Australian women swallowed millions of evil-tasting powders carrying the brand names Bex and Vincents. ‘ Their contents, indicated by the generic term APC, were aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine. In combination they were both addictive and deadly.

Is phenacetin still used today?

1.2. Phenacetin was withdrawn from the market in Canada in 1978, in the United Kingdom in 1980 (IARC, 1980), and in the Unites States of America in 1983 (FDA, 1999). Over-the-counter sales of phenacetin-containing analgesics have been legally prohibited in most countries.

What was in the original Bex powders?

Bex was a strong compound analgesic which was popular in Australia for much of the 20th century. It came in the form of APC (aspirin–phenacetin–caffeine) tablets or powder, containing 42% aspirin and 42% phenacetin plus caffeine.

Why is phenacetin banned?

Phenacetin, a widely used analgesic, was banned in most countries from the late 1960s because it causes renal diseases and cancers of the upper urinary tract. The ban on phenacetin is associated with changes in the incidence trends of upper urinary tract cancers in Australia.

Is phenacetin the same as paracetamol?

Paracetamol is a metabolite of phenacetin with similar analgesic and antipyretic effects, but the new formulation has not been found to have phenacetin’s carcinogenicity. Phenacetin has been used as a cutting agent to adulterate cocaine in the UK and Canada, due to the similar physical properties.

What was Vincent’s powder?

Analgesics and severe kidney disease For those of you not old enough to remember Bex and Vincent’s powders, they were painkillers that made a pleasant fizzy sound when put in a glass of water. You could go to the supermarket and there would be all these nice packets of the powders at the exit.

Can you still buy Vincent’s powders?

“Veganin” is no longer sold. The Australian firm of Nicholas produced Vincent’s powders. They were originally marketed as “Vincent’s APC ” (aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine). Once phenacetin was found to be associated with renal failure, the composition was changed as shown in the illustration.

Is Anacin still made?

This means that such familiar products as Anacin, Excedrin, Bromo-Seltzer, Super-Anahist, Empirin and APC’s (for “aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine”) either no longer contain phenacetin or will soon be without it.

What did Bex powders contain?

What was the main ingredient in Bex powders?

” Bex, the analgesic made up of aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine, became an Australian icon.

Where did the Bex Powders come from in Australia?

Bex Powders were produced from the 1920s in South Australia by Beckers Pty Ltd. Beckers moved to Sydney in the 1960s and in 1964 was based at the corner of Campbell and Crown Streets, Sydney.

What are the active ingredients in Bex powder?

One of her duties was to take morning tea and lunch orders for her fellow workers. Throughout the factory those orders included 1d Bex and 2d Vincent’s powders and tablets. (Vincent’s was a similar product.) The active ingredients were Aspirin, Phenacetin and Codeine or Caffeine, hence the generic name A.P.C.

What did Bex Powders and tablets do for You?

Bex Powders and Tablets. “Have a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down,” advised advertisements for Bex, a cure-all manufactured from 1965 by Beckers Pty Ltd manufacturing chemists in Sydney. Bex was recommended for headaches, colds and flu, all nerve pains, rheumatism, and for “calming down” the overexcited.

Where did the brand name Bex come from?

Bex was a product of Beckers Pty Ltd, originally based at Pym Street, Dudley Park, South Australia, but which relocated to Sydney in the 1960s. It was advertised with the phrase, “Stressful Day? What you need is a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down”.