Voluntary Recall Issued for Certain Sterile Medications

FDA announces voluntary nationwide recall of all non expired sterile drugs from Abrams Royal Compounding Pharmacy

/ Author:  / Reviewed by: Joseph V. Madia, MD Beth Bolt, RPh

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning of potentially contaminated sterile medications.

The FDA is alerting hospitals, health care professionals, and patients of a voluntary recall of all non-expired drug products produced and distributed for sterile use by Abrams Royal Compounding Pharmacy in Dallas, Texas. The recalled products include injectable medications, intravenous (IV) injections, eye drops, pellet implants, nasal sprays, inhalation solutions, and eye ointments that were distributed between June 17, 2013 and Dec. 17, 2013. 

Contaminated sterile drugs put patients at risk of serious infection. Health care professionals who have received the affected products should stop using them and follow Abrams’ recall instructions.

The FDA is aware of one adverse event associated with mineral IV injection produced by Abrams’ lot number 11142013@74. A patient who received this product was admitted to a hospital in California and had blood cultures that tested positive for Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, a gram-negative bacterium that can cause many types of infections. These include respiratory infections such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections and meningitis. In addition, Abrams identified a similar gram-negative bacterium in the same lot of mineral IV injection.

“Patient safety is our top priority, and giving a patient a contaminated drug could result in a serious infection,” said Howard Sklamberg, director of the Office of Compliance in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Using these products puts patients at an unacceptable risk, and we urge health care professionals to follow recall instructions issued by the firm.”

Patients who were administered any sterile drug products produced and distributed by Abrams and have concerns should contact their health care professional.

Review Date: 
December 23, 2013