Chewy calcium and vitamin-D tablets are being recalled for impurities

Teva U.K. Limited – a global pharmaceutical company – has recalled a batch of class 2 medicines due to a possible metal contamination.

The pharmaceutical company has recently made a precautionary batch recall for a ‘small number’ of Evacal D3 chewable tablets. The tablets are a calcium-vitamin D supplement used to treat a lack of calcium and vitamin D, predominantly in the elderly.

Teva U.K. reportedly discovered the metal contamination in a small number of tablets. The batch numbers ranging from 6010615 to 6010622 were first distributed between July and August 2016, and the batch numbers 6011671 and 6011673 to 6011676 were first distributed between March and June 2016.

It’s believed that the listed batches used the same pharmaceutical ingredient that may have been the source of the contamination.

Big risk

A medical alert is always of concern as it potentially put consumer’s health and wellbeing at risk; particularly if the consumers are elderly, where there is a greater risk of harm to them as it may affect their potentially brittle system even more.

Recalling process

All the remaining stock of the affected batches should be quarantined and returned to the original supplier for a refund. If there are any stock enquiries, Teva U.K. encourages companies selling the medicine to contact Teva U.K.’s customer service on 0800 590 502. For medicine-related enquiries, Teva U.K. is reachable on 0207 540 7117 or by email at medinfo@teva.com.

The pharmaceutical company also informs recipients of this particular Drug Alert to bring it to the attention of relevant contacts. They also ask NHS regional teams to forward on the alert to relevant clinics, general practitioners, and community pharmacists.

This is to understandably warn the healthcare institutions of a defect in their batches that may cause potential harm to users.

Seriousness of medicine impurities

Impurities in medicines can cause serious problems for patients. Unfortunately, some health risks associated with specific medicines aren’t always known until they’re used. By way of an example, decongestants and weight loss medicines containing phenylpropanolamine (PPA) were recalled in 2000 after they found that PPA actually increases the risk of a haemorrhage stroke and bleeding in the brain.

These sorts of scenarios are a serious cause for concern, but the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are on hand to make sure that medicines and medical devices are working properly and are safe to use. The MHRA also works closely with the European Medicines Agency (EMA), who oversees the safety of all medicines across Europe. Both organisations are equipped with informing the public about any possible risks associated with taking the medicine.

For more information:

https://www.gov.uk/drug-device-alerts/evacal-d3-1500mg-400iu-chewable-tablets-metal-contamination-in-a-very-small-number-of-tablets