A British expat in Spain died after being given the painkiller Nolotil and suffering an apparent allergic reaction, according to local media.
Mark Brooks, 42, was playing golf near his home in Alicante when he began to complain of shoulder pain.
The father-of-one went to his local health clinic on the Costa Blanca where he was given Nolotil, the brand name for metamizole, which is banned in more than 30 countries including the UK.
Around 48 hours later, the gardener from Derbyshire was rushed to hospital in Torrevieja, where doctors said he had depleted white blood cells and was suffering from sepsis.
The tragedy is the latest in a series of deaths linked to the drug in Spain, where experts claim fatal blood poisoning caused by it is more frequent among British patients.
Mark Brooks, 42, was playing golf near his home in Alicante when he began to complain of shoulder pain. Pictured here with his partner Summer Moses
Mr Brooks reportedly developed a rash and blisters within hours of receiving an injection of Nolotil.
He was taken to A&E where doctors found he had a low white blood cell count, before being admitted to intensive care with organ failure.
His condition deteriorated rapidly and he died four days after receiving the jab.
He is survived by his four-year-old daughter Aurora and his partner, Summer Moses, who is said to be ‘in complete shock’.
‘The whole thing is a blur, like a bad dream,’ the 38-year-old told the Observer.
‘I couldn’t believe how this happened in less than a week. He was bouncing around, excited about the golf, and then he’s gone.
‘How could this have happened? No one should be dying after a shoulder pain from golf. It’s senseless.
‘He had everything to live for, and we’ve been left to pick up the pieces. It’s not just Mark’s life. It is our lives as well.’
The mother has now been left to raise their daughter on her own, and has been forced to work two jobs to ‘make ends meet’.
The tragedy is the latest in a series of deaths linked to the drug in Spain. Nolotil is banned in more than 30 countries, including Britain
Ms Moses reportedly went to the campaign group Association of Drug Affected Patients (ADAF), who helped her uncover documents that suggested her partner’s death was the result of ‘an apparent allergic reaction to metamizole’.
Anti-Nolotil campaigner Christina del Campo told Olive Press: ‘It’s not just his life that’s been ruined, it’s her life and her daughter’s too. All because of a painkiller.’
The drug is now said to have been linked to more than 40 deaths in Spain, with many victims expats.
It is also believed to have contributed to up to 350 cases of agranulocytosis, a severe form of neutropenia meaning patients have lower-than-normal levels of white blood cells.
The gardener from Derbyshire was rushed to hospital in Torrevieja around 48 hours after taking Nolotil, Spanish media reports
Agranulocytosis is an extremely rare reaction to metamizole, but campaigners say there is evidence that Brits may be disproportionately affected by the condition.
A 2009 study on 13 patients, five of whom were Brits, at the Hospital Costa del Sol in Marbella found that the rare reaction was ‘more frequent in [the] British population, and its use must be avoided.’
Francisco Almodóvar, the lawyer representing the ADAF, told The Guardian late last year: ‘We have testimonies of British people telling their stories. We can support the evidence with clinical records. It is a very significant public health issue.’
A spokesperson for Boehringer Ingelheim, the manufacturer that makes Nolotil, said in a statement: ‘We take patient safety and public health seriously and closely cooperate with the regulators on product safety-related topics.
‘We are of the opinion that current approved prescribing information adequately addresses current knowledge about identified risks.’
