Lipitor Recall due to 'Uncharacteristic' Odor

Washington, DC: Further to Pfizer's October recall of some bottles of LIPITOR (40 mg only) due to a small number of reports of an uncharacteristic odor related to the bottles in which LIPITOR is packaged, Pfizer has issued another, larger recall of 19,000 more bottles of the cholesterol medication.

The total number of bottles of Lipitor now recalled by Pfizer totals 345,000 since August 2010.

The musty odor is caused by a chemical, TBA, used to treat the wooden pallets on which the bottles of Lipitor are stored. Pfizer says the smelly bottles were supplied by a third-party bottle manufacturer, and that the company prohibits use of TBA-treated wood to ship its medicines.

Although it is not currently known if TBA is toxic to humans, or what, if any adverse health effects are associated with the chemical, some people have reported "gastrointestinal events" because of the foul odor or taste of the drug stored in bottles contaminated with trace amounts of TBA.
Last updated on Dec-22-10