Going to a drug store to pick up a common other-the-counter medicine? You may want to take a closer look at the pills in the package. They may not be what you think. According to a recent drug recall, several medication errors were made in bottles of a number of common pills.
The drugs involved in the recent recall include: Excedrin, NoDoz, Bufferin and Gas-X. All the drugs are made by Swiss drug company Novartis.
According to a statement from Novartis, they found bottles of broken or chipped pills during an internal review. In addition to these problems, they uncovered a number of disturbing and serious errors. They found that inconsistent bottle packaging led to several instances where pills were mixed up. Stray pills from other medications were being included in incorrect bottles.
The company voluntarily recalled the named medications. Novartis has also recently decided to suspend production at one of their plant locations in Nebraska to make a number of improvements.
It can be very dangerous to take the wrong medicine. Taking the wrong pill can cause serious allergic reactions in an unknowing user. The erroneous drug could also interact poorly with other medications a person may be taking.
For a person who is already suffering from discomfort, the possibility of taking the wrong medication can make symptoms worse. Additional damage may be caused to users. Even if an error does not directly cause a new injury but simply worsens an existing problem, a company could still be held liable for the damage.
Source: NY Daily News, "Drug recall on Excedrin, NoDoz, Bufferin and Gas-X due to broken tablets, stray pills," Jan. 9, 2012
No Comments
Leave a comment