Promethazine Recall Issued After Hypertension Pill Found in Bottle

About 10,200 bottles of allergy pills are being removed from stores shelves after a report suggests that some bottles may contain blood pressure pills, which could pose a serious risk for consumers and potentially cause adverse health consequences for consumers with allergies.  

Zydus Pharmaceuticals issued a promethazine recall on May 28, indicating that a 25 milligram (mg) high blood pressure pill was found in a bottle of the allergy medication. To date, no injuries or severe adverse health reactions have been reported.

The recalled promethazine hydrochloride tablets are used to treat seasonal allergies, skin irritations, food or inhalant allergens, and for control of nausea and vomiting after receiving certain types of anesthesia and surgery.

In an FDA notification letter, the agency was informed of a report where a consumer found a 25 mg atenolol pill in the allergy pills bottle. Atenolol is used to treat hypertension. The manufacturer’s action has been categorized by the FDA as a Class II recall, indicating the presence of the atenolol in the blood pressure medication may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.

The recalled allergy pills were manufactured by Zydus Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., of Pennington, New Jersey and were sold nationwide. The recalled pill bottles are labeled with Lot number MN9081 and have an expiration date of September 2015.

The pill mix-up came just a little over two months after a similar incident led to a massive Effexor recall. In March, the massive pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer had to recall roughly 104,450 bottles of antidepressant Effexor XR and the generic version Venlafaxine after a customer found the heart drug Tikosyn in the antidepressant bottle. The FDA mandated the recall after announcing the accidental ingestion of both the antidepressants and the heart drug could cause fatal reactions.