HHP Medication Safety Watch: March 2024

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

Male sexual enhancement products recalled due to prescription medicine contamination

• Multiple brands of dietary supplements (maker: Pyramid Wholesale)

Comment: The maker of these products recalled 11 brands because they contain tadalafil and/or sildenafil, two drugs prescribed for erectile dysfunction. The recalled brands include pills, strips, and liquid products. A full list (in the form of product photos) is available at the link above.

Tadalafil and sildenafil may cause serious side effects, including a dangerous drop in blood pressure. This risk is highest among people who are also taking heart medicines such as nitroglycerin. A sudden and significant drop in blood pressure may cause heart attack, stroke, or death.

These products are marketed as dietary supplements for male sexual enhancement.

Prescription medicines

Antibiotic recalled due to overfilled bottles

• Vancomycin hydrochloride for oral solution, 250 mg/5mL (maker: Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC)

Comment: Four lots of this product have been recalled because some bottles may have been overfilled. This could cause the dose of medicine to be too high.

An excessive dose of vancomycin can cause side effects such as nausea, headache, and muscle pain. Too much vancomycin can also raise potassium levels, leading to cardiac arrest, especially among people with kidney disease.

The recalled vancomycin is an oral antibiotic for colitis (intestinal inflammation) due to infection with certain bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus and Clostridioides difficile.

Read additional issues of HHP Medication Safety Watch