Nurofen Plus painkillers imported in Malta are being checked by the local distributor to ensure no batches are similar to those recalled in the UK where anti-psychotic drugs were found in the packets of the pills available over the counter.

So far, the three contaminated batches listed in the UK had not been spotted in Malta, the Malta Medicine’s Authority said.

The UK’s Medicines and Health care Products Regulatory Agency issued a safety warning following reports of a mix-up where some boxes of Nurofen Plus contained blister packs of the prescription-only drug Seroquel XL, used to treat disorders including schizophrenia and bipolar depression. News reports indicated the mix-up happened at a wholesaler’s and three batches were identified in the south London area.

Each batch contains between 4,000 and 7,500 packs, amounting to about half a million tablets. However, not all packs are affected.

When asked if Maltese consumers had anything to worry about, the Malta Medicine’s Authority said “the three batches reported so far in the UK were not imported into Malta”. “As a precautionary measure, the local distributor has been instructed to ensure the stock in his warehouse is OK and also to contact all the pharmacies where Nurofen Plus was sold,” a spokesman said.

Pharmacists are also checking the product before dispensing as the blister pack of the anti-psychotic drug is visibly different to the Nurofen pack.

Standard Nurofen Plus blister strips are silver in colour with black text and are clearly labelled with the name of the drug. “Should the need arise, the public will be informed through a press release,” the authority said.

Reckitt Benckiser, manufacturer of Nurofen Plus, announced that “serious investigations” were under way to establish how the mix-up occurred, especially as Seroquel XL was manufactured by another drug firm, AstraZeneca.

The manufacturer denied a news report suggesting that animal rights activists could have carried out a sabotage operation. It said the company had a firm policy of not testing on animals.