Hair has grown all over the bodies of Spanish children - making them look like "werewolves" - after they were given a hair grower instead of medicine for upset stomachs by a pharmacy.
The angry parents have taken legal action and it was later confirmed that 20 children were affected in Andalusia and Valencia prompting local authorities to launch an investigation.
Officials admitted that some children in the community were mistakenly administered with minoxidil, an over-the-counter hair growth medication, instead of omeprazole to treat gastric reflux.
The mislabeled syrup was delivered to pharmacies in Valencia, Cantabria and Granada where chemists blended the substance into a formula to treat stomach aches.
The affected children developed hypertrichosis, which causes excess hair to sprout on the body. The families made a complaint to the Ministry of Health in July 2019.
Two years after the botched prescription, the families of some of the children are still furious that despite treatment, large strands of werewolf-like hair keeps growing.
The families have filed civil and criminal complaints against a laboratory and several companies for importing and distributing the medication. They are now demanding payment.
Spain's health ministry said it took two months for authorities to realize that the labeling blunder had occurred and that long to shut down the lab where the foul-up happened and to recall the treatment.
"I was asked if we had anyone in the family who had plenty of hair but it wasn't the case. My daughter has hair all over her face!" The Telegraph quoted one of the mothers as saying.
Skin doctors sometimes refer to hypertrichosis as the 'Werewolf Syndrome.' The disease, in its naturally occurring state, has no cure. It's unclear whether the effects of the medication on the Spanish children can be reversed.
