Triad Group recalls alcohol prep pads and swabs
Pharmaceutical manufacturers advise patients to use an alternative
Pfizer, Bayer and several other pharmaceutical manufacturers are warning users of certain injectable drugs not to use the disinfecting pads or swabs supplied with the drugs, in case of possible contamination.
Earlier this month, the supplier, Triad Group, of Hartland, Wisconsin, voluntarily recalled its alcohol prep pads and swabs, which are used to disinfect the skin prior to an injection, owing to concerns about potential contamination by the Bacillus cereus organism, which can cause life-threatening infections.
Triad said it had received one report of a non-life-threatening skin infection ‘out of hundreds of millions of products sold’. Since the recall notice, several drugmakers have issued alerts about the pads and swabs.
Pfizer and its partner Progenics Pharmaceuticals have suspended shipments of injectable formulations of anti-constipation drug Relistor until the Triad-supplied alcohol pads can be replaced. The companies said they would resume shipments as soon as possible.
Bayer has instructed patients using Betaseron immediately to stop using the prep pads included in the packaging of multiple sclerosis drug Betaseron.
The German pharmaceutical company said patients should either use an alternative alcohol prep pad or a sterile gauze pad or cotton ball to administer 70% isopropyl alcohol to the injection site.
Merck said Triad pads were distributed with Pegintron, a treatment for hepatitis C, and a related drug, Intron A, outside the US. Merck emphasised that drugs distributed in the US are not affected and said it would package orders for the drugs without alcohol prep pads until a suitable alternative has been found.
Genentech, which packages Triad products with Boniva Injection, Fuzeon, Nutropin A.Q.Pen, Pegasys, and TNKase drugs to customers in the US is also advising patients to stop using the pads and seek an alternative supplier.
Triad said the recalled products were distributed in the US, Canada and Europe. Some were made for third parties including drug distributor Cardinal Health and pharmacy chains Walgreen Co, CVS Caremark Corporation and PSS Select.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has put a recall notice on its website.
