Millions of bottles of acetaminophen recalled

[Guest guest]

Millions of bottles of acetaminophen recalled

Store-brand caplets may contain trace amounts of metal, manufacturer

says.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/11/09/news/perrigo_recall/index.htm?

postversion=2006110910?cnn=yes

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- A major generic drugmaker Thursday

recalled millions of bottles of its store-brand acetaminophen after

it found the pain pills might contain metal fragments.

FDA list of recalled acetaminophen batches

Perrigo Co. (Charts), one of the largest domestic makers of store-

brand over-the-counter drug and nutrition products, said it had

found trace amounts of metal in a small number of 500 milligram

caplets.

There were no reports of injuries or illness, the Michigan-based

company said.

The recall affects 11 million bottles containing pills that may have

been contaminated with metal fragments, a spokesman for the Food and

Drug Administration said.

The company said that it was recalling 383 batches of the product

after some were found to be contaminated, but did not specify how

many bottles it was recalling.

Perrigo's customers include Wal-Mart (Charts), CVS (Charts), Longs

Drug Stores, Kroger, Safeway, Dollar General and Save-a-Lot, the

company said.

FDA list of stores affected

" We are taking this measure to maintain the highest possible product

quality standards for our retail customers and their store-brand

consumers, " Perrigo executive vice president Hendrickson said

in a statement.

The company, which competes with Alpharma (up $0.42 to $22.56,

Charts) and Chattem (up $0.09 to $45.75, Charts), is informing

distributors and retailers of the problem. It advised customers to

call 877 546-0454 with questions or comments.

It also said that any adverse reactions from using the product

should be reported to the FDA by calling 800 FDA-1088 or faxing 800

FDA-0178 or on the MedWatch Web site at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch.

The FDA posted a list of recalled batches on its Web site at this

address

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/perrigo/perrigobatchlist.html.