Birth Control Recall Conducted by Pfizer
Pharmaceutical company Pfizer is calling for a recall on almost a million packets of birth control pills in the United States due to their lack of contraceptive curbing the pills ability to prevent pregnancy.
The company recently made a statement on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website regarding the matter.
"As a result of this packaging error, the daily regimen for these oral contraceptives may be incorrect and could leave women without adequate contraception, and at risk for unintended pregnancy," wrote the company.
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Pfizer discovered that some of the packets of the pills had too many active tablets, while others included few.
Oral contraceptive packets normally contain both active and inactive medication in order to regulate the menstrual cycle. Normal packages usually include 21 "active" pills and seven sugar pulls with no active ingredients. If the count is wrong then the pills could be rendered useless and no longer assist in preventing pregnancy.
These packets that are now being investigated by the company were originally sent to warehouses, clinics and retail pharmacies across the country. They also have expiration dates that span from July 31, 2013, and March 31, 2014.
Pfizer is advising customers with pills that are in question to return them to a local pharmacy and notify their doctors. The company also stated that taking these pills do not pose a health risk, but recommends the adaptation of nonhormonal birth control "immediately" for those with recalled packets.
A company spokeswoman stated that this mishap could be attributed to both mechanical and visual inspection failures on the packaging line, according to The Associated Press.
However, that same spokeswoman also claims that this issue has been corrected.
According to the company, the pills were manufactured by Pfizer and marketed by Akrimax Pharmaceuticals and shipped to warehouses, clinics and retail pharmacies nationwide.
