Community Chat

[Marp2]

Ranbaxy recalls generic Lipitor in United States

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd has recalled its generic version of Pfizer Inc's cholesterol-lowering drug Lipitor in the United States after certain batches were found to contain glass particles.

Ranbaxy's U.S. subsidiary, Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc, said the recall affects certain lots of 10-, 20- and 40-milligram doses of the drug, known generically as atorvastatin calcium. The 80-milligram dosage is not affected.

The company is conducting an investigation which it expects will take two weeks. It did not report any injuries connected to the tainted pills and did not say how the problem was discovered.

The recall could cause shortages of the drug in the United States, analysts said. Ranbaxy, the first company to introduce generic Lipitor after Pfizer's patent expired in November 2011, controls about 60 percent of the market, according Ross Muken, an analyst at ISI Group LLC.

"Given its dominant share of this high-volume drug, we are certain to see supply shortages over the next two weeks," Muken said. The near-term impact is likely to be felt most by retail pharmacies and more modestly by wholesalers, he added.

The recall is the latest in a series of manufacturing problems at Ranbaxy, which is operating under heightened scrutiny following a long-running dispute with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

http://news.yahoo.com/indias-ranbaxy-recalls-generic-lipitor-u-060204228--finance.html