Spain: 17 children with ‘werewolf syndrome’ due to mislabeled drug

We talk about “werewolf children”. In Spain, at least 17 children, including babies, had hair growing all over their bodies and faces after taking a mislabeled drug, the health ministry announced on Wednesday (August 28th). Scientifically, this affliction is called hypertrichosis.

It was in June that the affair broke out. Constant that their children developed very abnormal hair after taking a drug sold as omeprazole, a molecule used against gastric reflux, parents inform the authorities concerned. “Suddenly my son started to have hair on his forehead, cheeks, arms and legs, and even his hands, and he developed the eyebrows of a grown man (…) It was scary because we did not know what was happening to him”, testifies in particular Angela Selles, the mother of one of the affected children, to the local newspaper El País.

In all, 17 cases of “werewolf syndrome” are listed in the country, distributed in Cantabria (north), Andalusia (south) and the region of Valencia (east). An investigation is opened. The authorities then discover that the medicine boxes had been mislabeled: they actually contained minoxidil, used against hair loss, is it explained in an official press release. “This medicine was introduced in a package marked omeprazole” by mistake, explains the Minister of Health Maria Luisa Carcedo. The error comes from the FarmaQuimica Sur laboratory, based in Malaga. It remains to be determined how it could have happened.

The laboratory closed “as a precaution”

In the meantime, there is no need to panic, assure the authorities. Indeed, the symptoms of the affected children began to disappear as soon as they stopped taking the offending drug. However, it may take a few months for everything to return to normal. At the same time, the treatment was withdrawn from pharmacies while the laboratory was closed “as a precaution”. The newspaper El País refers to “serious violations of drug control standards”.

Finally, the health authorities advise parents who have purchased a baby formula containing omeprazole in Spain to go to their pharmacy to check that it does not come from a contaminated batch. As for people who notice excessive hair growth after consuming this drug, they are advised to consult a doctor.

Spectacular cases

In the medical literature, the facts of hypertrichosis listed are few but report spectacular cases, some people having the face entirely covered with hair. So much so that some even think that these patients would have given birth to the myth of the werewolf.

This disease, not to be confused with hirsutism, which is characterized by the appearance of normal male-type hair in women, is the manifestation of a hormonal imbalance. From birth, it is moderate to severe and increases progressively during the first twenty years of the patient’s life. However, hormonal treatments can reduce its manifestation.