If you take allergy pills regularly, check your cabinet.
Four lots of an over-the-counter allergy medication are being recalled nationwide after a manufacturing error may have contaminated them with a heartburn drug. In some people, that contamination could trigger life-threatening reactions, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Unique Pharmaceutical Laboratories voluntarily pulled the affected lots of cetirizine hydrochloride tablets—the generic version of Zyrtec—on July 18. A pharmacy technician spotted the problem first: a red dot on some tablets, discoloration on others.
The suspected contaminant is ranitidine, a drug once sold under the brand name Zantac for ulcers and heartburn. Anyone hypersensitive to it could be in real danger. The FDA’s recall notice describes “severe hypersensitivity reactions and anaphylaxis”—low blood pressure, trouble breathing or swallowing, swelling in the throat and face, hives. Loss of consciousness, too.
No adverse events have been reported yet.
What’s Affected
Rising Pharma Holdings Inc. distributed the tablets nationwide in 100-count bottles. Four lots are under recall, all Cetirizine Hydrochloride Tablets USP 5 mg, expiring October 2028:
- GY825029
- GY825030
- GY825031
- GY825032
Feeling off after taking one of these? Call your doctor.
Rising Pharma has already reached out to affected customers by email to arrange returns. Got questions of your own? The company can be reached at 1-844-874-7464, or by email at [email protected] or [email protected].
If allergies are part of your routine, it’s worth a quick check of your medicine cabinet. Better to know now than find out the hard way.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.