Lipitor Recall

To date, there have been two Lipitor recalls involving counterfeit Lipitor. The first such Lipitor recall took place in the United States during 2003 and involved medication packaged by a company called Med-Pro. The second Lipitor recall involving counterfeit medication occurred in the United Kingdom in July 2005.

 

Lipitor Recall: An Overview

Lipitor® (atorvastatin calcium) is a prescription drug used to treat high cholesterol and other conditions related to heart disease. Since 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has alerted consumers to two Lipitor recalls because of counterfeit Lipitor. The first Lipitor recall happened in May of 2003, and the second Lipitor recall occurred in July 2005.
 

Lipitor Recall in May 2003

The first Lipitor recall happened in May of 2003 when Albers Medical Distributors voluntarily recalled three lots of 90-count Lipitor bottles because they contained counterfeit Lipitor. The product was repackaged by Med-Pro, Inc., of Lexington, Neb., and the labels say "Repackaged by: MED-PRO, Inc. Lexington, Neb." in the lower left-hand corner.
 
The following lots were involved in this Lipitor recall:
 
  • 20722V -- 90-tablet bottles, Expiration 09-2004
  • 04132V -- 90-tablet bottles, Expiration 01-2004
  • 16942V -- 90-tablet bottles, Expiration 09-2004.
     
This voluntary Lipitor recall expanded in June of 2003 to include all lots of Lipitor that Albers purchased that were packaged by Med-Pro.
 

Lipitor Recall in July 2005

In July of 2005, the FDA issued a statement to alert people of a Lipitor recall concerning a batch of counterfeit Lipitor (atorvastatin) sold in the United Kingdom.
 
 
According to the FDA, the affected product was "Lipitor" 20 mg that was sold in packages of 28 tablets. The drug packages were marked with batch number 004405K1 and an expiration date of "11 2007." The batch number is printed on the end of the box next to the expiration date and on the foil backing of the drug's blister pack. Legitimate U.K. Lipitor also has this same batch number.
 
According to the FDA, if prescriptions were filled at legitimate pharmacies in America at this time, then there was no need for concern.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;