Personal Injury Law

Amgen recalls anemia drugs due to glass flakes

By Hurley, McKenna & Mertz

Amgen Inc. is ?recalling some lots of its Epogen and Procrit anemia treatments because they may contain glass flakes.? (Thousand Oaks, CA, AP, 9/24). Epogen is a drug that treats anemia, and is used in patients with chronic renal failure who are on dialysis. Procrit, on the other hand, treats anemia for cancer patients on chemotherapy in addition to some patients who are infected with HIV.

The biotechnology company asserts that they have received no reports or complaints that can be directly linked to the glass flakes, but are taking this action preemptively. The drugmaker says, ?the flakes are barely visible in most cases,? and are caused by an interaction between the glass containers and the drug over the product?s shelf life.
The affected drug?s lot numbers as well as expiration dates can be found on the product website.

As a medical malpractice and products liability lawyer, I encourage all patients currently taking one of these drugs to consult their doctors immediately and evaluate other pharmaceutical options.

Full post as published by Chicago Medical Malpractice Lawyer Blog on September 27, 2010 (boomark / email).