(RxWiki News) If you take Introvale birth control pills, pull out the packaging now and make sure its lot number is not among the ones voluntarily recalled today by the pill's manufacturer Sandoz.
If you're not certain what birth control you take or whether your generic brand might be Introvale, contact a local pharmacy for assistance. Using one of these packages may result in unintended pregnancy.
"Check your birth control pill package to see if it's been recalled."
The Food and Drug Administration announced Sandoz's voluntary recall of 10 lots of the pill because the row of placebo sugar pills is in the wrong row in some packages.
The sugar pills are supposed to be in the last row, labeled "Week 13." However, in the recalled packages, they are in the "Week 9" row. The sugar pills are identifiable because they are white instead of the 84 peach-colored tablets that contain the drug's active hormone ingredients.
The sugar pills do not contain those ingredients, and if taken at the wrong time of the month, the drug can lose its effectiveness and result in an unintended pregnancy.
If you have been using one of these packages with the sugar pills in any position besides the last row, you should use a condom or another form of non-hormonal birth control immediately.
You should also contact your doctor, nurse or clinic to let them know you have a recalled package. You can contact Sandoz, the pill manufacturer, at the Sandoz Drug Information Direct Line at 1-800-525-2492 or at qa.druginfo@sandoz.com.
Sandoz has not received reports of any problems with these pills besides the improper placement of the sugar pills in the packaging. If you have experienced a problem or adverse event, you should contact your doctor.
This is the third birth control pill voluntary recall this year due to improper packaging and misplacement of the placebo pills. If you use any brand of birth control pills, check the packaging every time you pick them up from the pharmacy to ensure they look the way they're supposed to. If you're not sure, check with the pharmacist.
The lot numbers involved in this recall include LF00478C, LF00479C, LF00551C, LF00552C, LF00687C, LF00688C, LF00763C, LF00764C, LF00765C and LF01261C. They were distributed in the US only between January 2011 and May 2012.
The FDA released the recall information online June 5. Additional information is available at the FDA website.
