Half a Million Bottles of Generic Lipitor Recalled

Pennsylvania residents taking cholesterol medicine should be warned that 480,000 bottles of generic Lipitor have been recalled because they might contain tiny glass fragments.

On November 9, Ranbaxy Inc. announced a massive voluntary recall of Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets.

Days later, Ranbaxy announced it was halting production of the tablets altogether until it had pinpointed the cause of the glass particulates – thought to have come from a faulty liner on a production tank at the company’s production facility in India.

Individuals and families who are injured by defective drugs have a right to bring a lawsuit for financial compensation.

Following is from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recall notice:

On November 9, Ranbaxy Inc. initiated a voluntary recall of 41 affected lots of Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets (10 mg, 20 mg and 40 mg) which is a solid oral dosage form, to the retail level. The company is taking this voluntary action as a precautionary measure due to the fact that we cannot exclude the possibility that the affected lots may contain very small glass particles resembling a fine grain of sand (less than 1 mm in size). This information is available in Ranbaxy’s website at www.ranbaxyusa.com. The recall does not affect or relate to the 80 mg dosage strength of Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets.

Because of the size of the particles which may be present in the affected lots it is unlikely to cause a significant safety concern. However, the possibility of adverse experiences arising primarily due to physical irritation cannot be ruled out. As of this date, Ranbaxy has not received any reports of adverse events related to this recall.

The product is used to lower blood cholesterol and is packaged in plastic bottles, as 90 and 500 tablets per bottle.

The product is a white colored tablet and can be identified by the imprint RX12 on 10 mg tablets, RX828 on 20 mg tablets and RX829 on 40 mg tablets.

Lipitor was the world’s top-selling drug before Pfizer Inc. lost its U.S. exclusivity late last year. Ranbaxy was among the first to sell a generic version of the drug, known as atorvastatin calcium.

If you have questions regarding the recall of this potentially dangerous medication, contact Ranbaxy’s Customer Coordinator at 1-866-266-7623. You should immediately contact your physician or healthcare provider if you have experienced any health problems that may be related to use of this drug.

Manufacturers of drugs that cause injury or death can be required to pay for a victim’s medical treatment, hospital bills, and pain and suffering by way of a drug injury lawsuit.

A full list of the affected lots of Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets is available here.