Eleven Million Bottles of Over-the-Counter Pain Reliever Recalled

By Amy Teeple

Published on November 09, 2006

Perrigo, which promotes itself as the world's largest manufacturer of store-brand nonprescription drugs, stated that the metal contamination was discovered during a quality control check. The inspection had been prompted when it was found that the machinery to make the pills was prematurely wearing down.

The company put about 70 million pills through a metal detector and found metal in approximately 200 caplets. The metal pieces ranged from miniscule fragments to portions of wire about a third of an inch in length.

No injuries or illnesses have been reported in connection to this recall and the FDA believes that the probability of serious health issues is remote.

The recall affects bottles of the 500mg strength of acetaminophen sold under the store names of numerous retailers. Acetaminophen is best known as the active ingredient in Tylenol and, along with ibuprofen and aspirin, is one of the most widely used non-prescription pain relievers.

The FDA announced that Tylenol is not affected by the recall and a shortage of acetaminophen is not expected.

A list of batches and stores affected is located on the FDA's website.

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