During these frightening times, we need to depend on the quality of the pharmaceuticals we take more than ever before. But a new announcement from the FDA won’t do anything to ease our concern. The agency recently issued a nationwide recall of tetracycline made by Avet Pharmaceuticals Labs and distributed under the Heritage Pharmaceuticals label.
What Triggered FDA Recall of Tetracycline?
Physicians prescribe the antibiotic tetracycline for a range of infections, including pneumonia. Unfortunately, the FDA has found that Heritage tetracycline does not dissolve properly.
According to the FDA,
“Low dissolution results in less tetracycline available in the body to fight infection. This can lead to treatment failures….there is a reasonable probability that if there is not enough tetracycline in the body to fight the infection, this could result in rapid progression of the infection and death.”
The medications included in the FDA recall of tetracycline are Heritage tetracycline hydrochloride (HCl) capsules USP. Both 250 and 500 mg capsules are involved. Frequently, doctors use this antibiotic to treat respiratory tract infections as well as skin or soft tissue problems and tick-borne diseases caused by Rickettsiae, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
What Should You Do?
Consumers generally are not able to detect quality problems with medications. When an antibiotic doesn’t work, doctors may attribute the problem to an infection that was not susceptible to it. (Occasionally, they may wonder if the patient took the medication as prescribed.) But, as the FDA pointed out in its announcement, such a quality lapse could be lethal.
Consequently, anyone taking tetracycline should check the label on the bottle. It may identify the distributor. If it says Heritage, a patient should contact the physician who prescribed the medicine rather than discontinuing the drug. The doctor may want to switch to a different antibiotic, such as doxycycline, a related drug. On the other hand, s/he may prefer to have the pharmacy provide the antibiotic from another manufacturer not involved in the FDA recall of tetracycline.
