Editing Kaopectate

{{Short description|Over-the-counter medication}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2021}}
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[image:kaopectate.jpg|Right|thumb|A bottle of kaopectate as sold in the United States]] -->
'''Kaopectate''' is an orally taken [[medication]] for the treatment of mild [[diarrhea]]. It is also sometimes used to treat indigestion, nausea, and stomach ulcers. The active ingredients have varied over time, and are different between the United States and Canada. The original active ingredients were [[kaolinite]] and [[pectin]]. In Canada and Switzerland, the active ingredient is now [[Attapulgite]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kaopectate Extra-Strength Peppermint |url=https://well.ca/products/kaopectate-extra-strength-peppermint_22892.html?srsltid=AfmBOorzgdDmqZeTxBTx4gimHF_I05YdvfFyXvoJThSiFRTNdflytY39 |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=Well.ca |language=en}}</ref> while in the US, the active ingredient is now [[bismuth subsalicylate]] (the same as in [[Pepto-Bismol]]).

==Ingredients==
The active ingredient in Kaopectate has changed since its original creation. Originally, [[kaolinite]] was used as the [[adsorbent]] and [[pectin]] as the [[emollient]]. [[Attapulgite]] (a type of absorbent [[clay]]) replaced the kaolinite in the 1980s, but was banned by the U.S. [[Food and Drug Administration]] in a ruling made in April 2003.  As a consequence, since 2004, [[bismuth subsalicylate]] has been used as the active ingredient in U.S. marketed products.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090709172044/http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/MedicationErrors/ucm080666.pdf FDA Safety Report, ''Drug Topics'', April 19, 2004]</ref>  In Canada, McNeil Consumer Healthcare continues to market Kaopectate using [[attapulgite]] as the active ingredient. However, Kaopectate was recalled in July 2021 in Canada because it may contain arsenic and lead beyond acceptable limits.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2021/76131r-eng.php|title = Amended: Children's Kaopectate Suspension Product Recall (2021-07-02)|date = 28 July 2021}}</ref>

As of 2020, the US rights to Kaopectate are owned by Arcadia Consumer Healthcare (formerly Kramer Laboratories).<ref name="pringle">Sarah Pringle, [https://www.pehub.com/avista-to-make-3-7-times-its-money-with-sale-of-arcadia-consumer-healthcare/ "Avista to Make 3.7 Times its Money with Sale of Arcadia Consumer Healthcare,"] PE Hub, August 9, 2021.</ref>

==Other animals==

The U.S. [[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) does not have a clear stance on the administration of Kaopectate products on animals such as dogs and cats suffering from diarrhea. However, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association Journal news article noted in 2003 that the new [[salicylate]] formulation might be harmful to cats. Kaolin-pectate, the original compound, was approved{{when|date=September 2018}} by the [https://web.archive.org/web/20110820202509/https://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/04n0480/04N-0480-EC4-Attach-1.pdf OTA (Organic Trade Association)] for use in animals being produced for food.

==In popular culture==
* Kaopectate is referenced in the [[Sugarhill Gang]] song "[[Rappers Delight]]".
* It is used and mentioned several times by the protagonist in the novel ''[[11/22/63]]'' by [[Stephen King]].
*It is mentioned in the song “Wicked Ways” by [[Eminem]].
*It is used to describe the colour of the sky in the novel [[Infinite Jest]] by [[David Foster Wallace]].

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

* {{official website|http://chattem.com}}

[[Category:Antidiarrhoeals]]
[[Category:Chattem]]

{{Gastrointestinal-drug-stub}}