HHP Medication Safety Watch: December 2022

This list contains selected items from the full FDA list of recalls, withdrawals, and alerts for medicines and certain health products. We've provided links to FDA information for each product and its maker. Unless otherwise noted, these actions apply only to the specific brand name of the product listed. Talk to your healthcare provider before stopping or changing any medicines or treatments that they have recommended for you.

• Over-the-counter products and medicines
• Prescription medicines

Over-the-counter products and medicines

Burn cream recalled due to bacterial contamination

• Multiple brands of AfterBurn Cream and first aid kits containing AfterBurn Cream (maker: GFA Production (Xiamen) Co., Ltd.)

Comment: The makers of this product recalled one lot after the FDA detected bacteria called Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus sonorensis. This cream is included as a treatment for skin burns in many brands of first aid kits, including CVS First Aid Home, Adventure First Aid, and Easy Care First Aid. See full list of recalled kits here.

Applying contaminated cream to the skin could cause a serious bacterial infection, especially among people who are immunocompromised.

Prescription medicines

Medicine for high blood pressure and heart failure recalled due to contaminant

• Quinapril, 20 and 40 mg tablets (maker: Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)

Comment: Four lots of this medicine have been recalled due to detection of higher than acceptable levels of a nitrosamine called N-nitroso-quinapril. Low levels of nitrosamines are common in water and foods. However, exposure to higher than acceptable levels over time can potentially cause cancer.

Quinapril is prescribed to treat high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart failure.

Read additional issues of HHP Medication Safety Watch