In another family planning head shaker, a second maker of oral contraceptives reports that the pills in some of its blister packs are out of order, exposing women to the chance of unwanted pregnancy.
Glenmark Generics is recalling 7 lots of Norgestimate and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets manufactured in India, because the pills are rotated 180 degrees in the card.
The announcement comes about a month after Pfizer ($PFE) recalled a million packages of Lo/Ovral-28 pills and their generic counterparts for a similar packaging mishap. That event already has plaintiffs' attorneys trolling for clients. In both cases, it was a consumer who noticed something was wrong with the packaging.
Glenmark says the pills in question were distributed to wholesalers and pharmacies nationwide between Sept. 21 and Dec. 30. It says the packaging reversal leaves the lot number and expiry date visible only on the outer pouch, so if those digits are not visible on the blister pack, the pills are part of the recall.
There are no immediate health risks, but of course the company points out that women taking the pills could get pregnant. They are advised to start some non-hormonal birth control, contact their doctor and return their unused pills to their pharmacy.
- Glenmark recall release