People take medications to improve their health conditions. So how would you feel if you found out that your medicine could be making you sicker rather than better? A schizophrenia drug has been recalled today by Johnson & Johnson because it may have a serious problem.
Johnson & Johnson has been recalling many drugs this year and today unsurprisingly announced another recall. Bloomberg reports here that apparently there may be mold growing on a certain schizophrenia drug produced by J&J. “J&J is recalling 5,000 vials of its Risperdal Consta, a long-acting drug for patients with schizophrenia, after testing found the drug was no longer sterile” according to Bloomberg.
The company routinely tests its medicines to ensure that they are current. This time the test showed, “One lot of the injected drug was contaminated with alternaria alternata, a common mold found in the environment” stated a spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson. She further stated that there could be negative reactions to the drug at injection sites so the company felt it necessary to warn users of the drug as well as doctors.
Johnson & Johnson has had to deal with numerous recall issues and lawsuits for years now. Bloomberg recounts the company’s recent history “The company last week withdrew 200,000 bottles of concentrated Motrin Infants’ Drops and is facing thousands of lawsuits following the recall of 93,000 ASR model hip implants.”
Risperdal Consta is different from other drugs, it must be kept refrigerated and preserved which is why it is significant that there might be thousands of vials already growing mold. A spokeswoman for J&J made a statement saying the company believes and hopes that most vials are still with pharmacies and at doctor’s offices. The drug is generally administered to patients suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder every two weeks.
