The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning to consumers who filled prescriptions at The Medicine Shoppe pharmacies located at 8035A Liberty Road and 5900 Reisterstown Road, both located in Baltimore, Maryland.  The FDA is reporting that such consumers may have received defective drugs that were either expired or suspected counterfeit and is concerned because some of the drugs are for serious diseases and could have an adverse treatment effects.  At this time, no other Medicine Shoppe pharmacies seem to be involved.

Because the safety and efficacy of the listed drugs has not been established, the FDA is strongly advising consumers “who filled prescriptions for these drugs at these two pharmacies to contact their prescribing physician immediately for new prescriptions. Additionally, consumers in possession of the above listed prescription drugs from these pharmacies should call FDA at 800-521-5783 for further information on how to dispose of the drugs.”  The medications include:

    Lisinopril:  20 milligrams
    Guaifenesin/Dextromethorphan:  600 mg and 1000 mg
    Gabapentin:  100 mg, 300 mg and 400 mg
    Metoprolol:  50 mg
    Nifedipine:  30 mg
    Diclofenac Sodium:  30 mg
    Glucophage:  500 mg Extended Release
    Glucovance: 125 mg and 500 mg
    Glipizide/Metformin:  2.50 mg/250 mg
    Furosemide:  20 mg
    Tamoxifen Citrate:  10 mg
    Metformin HCl ER:  500 mg
    Calcitrol:  0.25 micrograms

Consumers and health care professionals can report adverse events to the FDA’s MedWatch program at 800-FDA-1088, by mail at MedWatch, HF-2, FDA, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Md 20852-9787, or online at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.

Meanwhile, we recently reported that the New York State Attorney General’s Office announced it was initiating litigation against CVS and Rite Aid for selling expired over-the-counter products.  The office conducted a three-month statewide investigation and found that 254 stores were selling over 600 over-the-counter products that had passed their expiration dates, including flu and cold medications, milk and eggs, and baby formula.  The investigation revealed that some products expired over one year ago and that one Long Island store had a nondrowsy allergy product in stock that expired two years ago.  Although the investigation reviewed other stores, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said that CVS and Rite Aid drugstore chains represented “more of a threat to consumers in terms of numbers and frequency of expired products.”  Cuomo added that, “With the cost-of-living going through the roof, we want to make sure consumers get what they pay for.”  Cuomo noted that such products may be “not just ineffective, but can be harmful as well” and said that the findings represent “a shameful disregard for public health.”  Meanwhile, Nassau County officials were thrilled with the investigation.  “I’m in full support of what the attorney general is doing,” said Roger C. Bogsted, commissioner of the Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs who also said his office fined a number of local retailers a total of $58,000 for stocking expired products, including baby formula and over-the-counter medication.  According to Bogsted, the issue is very challenging for seniors, who sometimes have difficulty reading the small print that indicates product expiration dates.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 1:22 pm and is filed under Legal News, Pharmaceuticals.