For the second time in the last four months, pharmaceutical Bristol-Myers Squibb is announcing a major recall of its Avalide blood pressure tablets distributed on the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico.
On Thursday, the company announced it will be collecting 64 million tablets due to the potential for reduced effectiveness, Reuters reported. The medication was produced at Bristol’s plants in Humacao and Evansville, Indiana.
Bristol-Myers said the action was a “precautionary measure.
In September, the pharmaceutical — which jointly markets the drug with Sanofi-Aventis — recalled 62 lots, or 60 million tablets, of the drug manufactured in Puerto Rico.
Avalide, sold under the brand name Avapro, is one of Bristol-Myers’ blockbuster products, with $1.3 billion in sales in 2009.
Business reporter with 30 years of experience writing for weekly and daily newspapers, as well as trade publications in Puerto Rico. My list of former employers includes Caribbean Business, The San Juan Star, and the Puerto Rico Daily Sun, among others. My areas of expertise include telecommunications, technology, retail, agriculture, tourism, banking and most other segments of Puerto Rico’s economy.
“After 10 years of Act 247-2015 [Law for the Promotion of Reusable Bags and the Regulation of the Use of Plastic Bags], we must seriously examine whether public policy has produced the expected effects.
We need to see the full picture: protecting the environment, weighing costs for consumers and ensuring viability for retailers. Our duty is to consider amendments or new strategies that bring a fair and effective balance for Puerto Rico.”
— Sen. Nitza Morán, chairwoman, Puerto Rico Senate Committee on Economic Development, Small Business, Banking, Commerce, Insurance and Cooperativism