Sunday, May 09, 2010

Fear of metal in children’s medication prompted recall: company official

From the Globe and Mail:
Fears that children’s liquid medication could contain small metal particles is what prompted a major recall in Canada last weekend, according to a company official in the U.S. who said while the risk to consumers is remote, it does exist.

This comes after the Canadian branch of McNeil Consumer Healthcare, the company at the centre of the recall, said it didn’t know the identity of the substance, but that it posed no risk to consumers. The products were pulled off of Canadian shelves because they didn’t meet the “manufacturing specification,” similar to what would happen if there was a printing error on product labels, said company spokeswoman Tina Peyregatt.

“I mean, there’s no safety concern, but it’s not to the quality, the level of quality, that we adhere to, so we pull it off the shelf,” Ms. Peyregatt said in an interview Monday.

As information emerges about the serious nature of problems at the plant where the recalled medication was made and U.S. lawmakers prepare to investigate McNeil, the company’s response to the issue in Canada and lack of involvement from this country’s health regulator raises questions about the level of transparency and consumer protection available this side of the border. ...more

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