THEY DON’T CARE –
June 12, 2024 – FDA data shows America’s largest pharmacy chain recalled 133 over-the-counter medicines over the last decade, or about one a month.
The reasons for the CVS recalls included drugs being infested with bacteria, mold growing in factory ventilators, peeling paint and barefoot workers in factories and pills containing incorrect doses.
Recalled products were manufactured by companies based in China and India, as well as some in the US — including Tennessee and Florida.
CVS has seen its recalls rise in recent years, recording less than ten a year from 2014 to 2018 but above this number for four out of six years since then.
So far this year, the chain has recorded 11 recalls — mostly for eye drops, cough medicines and drugs for treating constipation.
Experts have been warning for some time over generic medicines, saying there are too few incentives for pharmacy chains to ensure their quality.
This is due to a loophole in FDA rules which makes CVS not responsible for the quality of generics manufactured by third-party factories, even when the products carry a red heart and the words ‘CVS Health’.
Dr Kevin Schulman, a medicine expert at Stanford University, told Bloomberg: ‘The best way to make a low-price product is to skimp on quality, and that’s what we’re seeing over and over and over again.’
