Agreement: I Agree Body: Dear Editor The news article by Owen Dyer is an important contribution It however misses the key fact that the Lancet was alerted soon after the original publication in 2006 (Bateman et al 2008) in which we showed that other reports of this case by the same authors included data on paracetamol concentrations in the baby that were physiologically impossible in a breast fed baby. This debacle could have been avoided if the original report had been properly assessed and suitable responses made to our letter to the Lancet originally sent to their journal in early 2007, but only published many months later. The lesson learned from this tale show how easily misinformation can influence practice, and emphasises the problem of using a single case report to alter health policy Yours etc Ref Bateman DN, Eddleston M, Sandilands. Codeine and breastfeeding. Lancet 2008. 372; 625 No competing Interests: No competing interests The following competing Interests: I am quoted in the article and wrote the first response to the original Codeine report which is inaccurately reported Electronic Publication Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - 13:00 AI use: No, I have not used AI Highwire Comment Subject: Breastfeeding and codeine guidance in doubt after calls for retraction of pivotal Lancet study Workflow State: Released Full Title: Re: First concerns regarding the Koren Codeine breastfeeding issue Highwire Comment Response to: Breastfeeding and codeine guidance in doubt after calls for retraction of pivotal Lancet study Check this box if you would like your letter to appear anonymously:: Last Name: Bateman First name and middle initial: D Nicholas Email: drnickbateman@gmail.com Address: Toxicology and Phramacology, University of Edinburgh Occupation: Honorary Professor of Clinical Toxicology Affiliation: University of Edinburgh BMJ: Additional Article Info: Rapid response
Re: First concerns regarding the Koren Codeine breastfeeding issue
