The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issue a press release for Actavis Totowa LLC. The manufacturer located in Morristown, NJ has issued a Class 1 recall of all strengths of their digitalis tablets manufactured under the name Digitek. Distribution of the defective products is by Mylan Pharmaceuticals using their Bertek label, and by UDL Laboratories using their UDL label.

The digitalis tablets came out of manufacturing with a double thickness of the tablet, meaning each tablet is a double-dose of the medication. Since Digitek is taken to correct abnormal heart rates and for heart failure, the double-dose poses quite a risk as well digitalis toxicity which can cause renal failure. The symptoms of excess Digitek in the system can be nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure, cardiac instablity and bradycardia (abnormally slow heart rate).

Patients taking either of these medications should contact Stericycle, a pharmaceutical recall service company, at 1-888-276-6166 and contact their medical providers immediately.

It has been reported that 81 deaths in the U.S. can be linked to a contaminated supply of the drug heparin, a blood thinner, imported from China. The deaths were centered around dialysis patients who use the defective products on a regular basis.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Chinese officials are at odds as to where the contamination occurred. Although the Chinese agreed that the heparin was contaminated, they said the deaths could not be attributed to the contaminant and they want to inspect the factory where the heparin was put into vials.

U.S. government officials are considering increased funding which will add more FDA inspection offices in China and increased inspections of the drug before it is exported. FDA director Dr. Janet Woodcock,

“assured patients, however, that all heparin supplies in the United States had
been tested with the most sensitive assays and had been found to be
uncontaminated.”

Everyone knows that the cost of prescription medications in the U.S. is extremely high and its taking a bigger and bigger piece of the family income, particularly that of senior citizens.

According to the About.com:Senior Health, one in four Americans has no prescription drug insurance. This often forces them to buy their prescription drugs on the Internet through online “pharmacies”. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) understands this need to search out the best price for your medications, but they want to make certain that you are getting safe drugs from Internet.

They caution consumers that not all online pharmacies are licensed to sell drugs in the U.S. You can’t even be certain there is a licensed pharmacist on staff to help you. Therefore, any information you get may not be accurate or you may get the wrong medication. There is also no guarantee that they will keep your personal information private.

The FDA also warns that some of the medications bought online may not be medicine at all; they may be bogus pills. You also cannot be certain the the strength of the medication matches your prescription or even if they are out of date so may not work at all. Since you don’t know where these pharmacies get their medications, you are not guaranteed that they don’t include hazardous ingredients or that they are produced within our quality control standards.

The FDA is not in the business of trying to stop you from getting the best price for your presciptions by buying online. They just want you to do so safely and to protect yourself from unscupulous pharmacies.

For more complete information, please see their Consumer Safety Guide that has some very simple rules to follow before you make your online purchases.

If you or one of your family members has been injured by fake, expired or unsafe medications from an Internet purchase, contact one of our experienced attorneys for a free consultation.