Warning against dangerous arthritis product Beline Capsules
The Danish Medicines Agency warns strongly against taking the arthritis product Beline Capsules based on analyses made by the Danish Medicines Agency and the Medical Products Agency in Sweden.
Beline Capsules are sold on foreign pages on the internet with claims that the product solely contains a mixture of various herbs, but the analyses performed have shown that the product in fact contains the active substances chlorphenamine, oxetacaine, piroxicam and betamethasone. The active substances are not declared on the package.
The active substance chlorphenamine is an antihistamine, which is used to treat allergy. Oxetacaine is a local anaesthetic, piroxicam is a pain-relieving and fever-reducing substance of the NSAID type and betamethasone is a corticosteroid. The substances were found in doses that are comparable to the normal dose of authorised medicines containing these active substances. Treatment with the above-mentioned substances should only be started upon consultation with a doctor. In addition, the Danish Medicines Agency has not authorised the product Beline Capsules. Based on the analysis results, we warn strongly against taking the product.
If you have used Beline Capsules over a longer period of time, we advise you to contact your doctor as it is recommended to reduce treatment gradually by means of medicines that contain corticosteroids. Remember to tell your doctor that the product you have been taking contains betamethasone, etc. You could experience symptoms such as fever, joint and muscle pain and may generally feel unwell if you suddenly stop taking corticosteroids.
You can return any unused capsules of the illegal product Beline Capsules to the nearest pharmacy for destruction.
Furthermore, we urge everyone to exercise extreme caution when buying products on the internet that claim to be harmless and to be natural herbal products, as we have experienced that many of these types of products contain undeclared prescription-only active substances.
Further information for physicians is available in the box to the right.