The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a nationwide recall of four lots of birth control pills manufactured by the Apotex Corporation this week. In their press release, they noted that their Ethinyl Estradiol (EE) and Drospirenone (DRSP) tablets were all found to have a packaging error that could result in women becoming pregnant.
In their press release announcing the recall, the FDA highlighted how the packaging errors that resulted in the recall vary. Some of the blister packs have empty pockets. Others have the tablets arranged incorrectly. In the case of the latter, women may find think that they’re taking an active pill when they’re really taking a placebo. This can result in the patient not being protected against an unwanted pregnancy.
At the time that the FDA went public with the recall, they noted that they hadn’t yet received any notice of any adverse events, including unwanted pregnancies, due to patients taking Apotex pills.
They noted that the packages affected by this recall generally contain 28 biconvex tablets that are film-coated. They typically feature 21 pills that are yellow colored and seven others that are white. The yellow ones are the active tablets that each contain 0.03 milligrams (mg) of EE and three mg of DRSP. The others are placebos, or inactive, pills. The specific lots of birth control pills that have been recalled include 7DY010, 7DY008A, 7DY011A and 7DY009a.
An FDA spokesperson warns individuals who take these pills to consult with their pharmacist or doctor to learn about other non-hormonal birth control methods that they can use before discontinuing their use of this product.
They also note that any packages that form part of the recall should be returned to a patient’s pharmacist. Questions about the pill itself should be directed to its manufacturer.
By the time a medication or drug gets recalled by the FDA, it often happens because there have already been several reports that it’s caused a many patients’ health to decline or it’s killed them. If you live in New Haven and have taken a pharmaceutical product that has resulted in an expected result, then a products liability attorney can advise you of the best way to handle your dangerous drug case in Connecticut.
