Recalls
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Recalls of medical devices and drugs are up - can anyone predict when it will happen next?
From the valsartan blood pressure drug contamination that exposed thousands of patients to cancer-causing impurities, to a massive pacemaker recall undertaken to fix a hazardous software bug in half-a-million cardiac devices, health care product quality problems are ever-present and highly dangerous.
In fact, medical product recalls – in particular severe, life-threatening pharmaceutical drug and medical device recalls – have increased steadily over the last decade.
It is no surprise that medical product recalls are universally negative events. Firms seek to avoid them, customers despise them, and federal regulators are forced to oversee them. They are associated with millions…
Resources
SaferProducts.gov
SaferProducts.gov is where the public can file and read complaints about thousands of types of consumer products.
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Each year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls roughly 400 items a year, according to CNBC. The commission, which is responsible for children's toys, coffee makers, and 15,000 other consumer objects, monitors voluntary recalls companies make themselves, and enforces recalls on products that pose "unreasonable risks" to consumers.
Consumer Affairs
It's important to stay up to date on recalls. All too often, consumers don't learn of a recall until it's too late, according to a recent investigation by Consumers Union. So check back here often, or subscribe to our free newsletter for a weekly update of important recalls.
Consumer Safety Guide
Consider us a comprehensive resource for information about faulty medical devices, FDA alerts, and any other information about dangerous consumer products.
Kids in Danger
Kids In Danger (KID) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting children by fighting for product safety. KID was founded in 1998 by the parents of sixteen-month-old Danny Keysar who died when a portable crib collapsed around his neck in his Chicago childcare home.
How to track product recalls
One stop for all the things you wish you hadn’t shopped.
It’s easier than ever to make hand sanitizer. But eased restrictions have come with consequences
Toxic chemicals and odd smells have plagued some new hand sanitizers, but the demand isn’t going anywhere.
How a Product Recall Works
The Consumer Product Safety Commision (CPSC) has jurisdiction over more than 15,000 types of products typically used in homes, sports, and schools. Depending on the complexity of the issue, recalls can take from weeks to a year. Follow our flow chart to track how the tangled process works.
The FDA just pulled popular heartburn drug Zantac due to cancer risk
Here’s everything you need to know.
The US relaxed its meat safety rules at exactly the wrong time
In the last decade, the number of recalls the US government made for unsafe meat increased. And not just by a little.
Why Companies Should Try Harder To Prevent Product Recalls
Product failures create managerial challenges for companies but market opportunities for competitors. The stakes have only grown higher.
Product Recalls Are A Complex Process
Contrary to popular belief, most recalls are not ordered by these agencies, but rather are voluntarily issued by the product manufacturer, according to the FDA. Most companies either identify a problem with a product independently and approach the regulatory agency with a recall notification or, as was the case with the recent salmonella outbreak in peanut products, work with the regulatory agency to issue a recall.
Product Recalls Fail to Reach Consumers' Ears
While the number of consumer products recalled by manufacturers has risen sharply in recent years, a large percentage of those potentially dangerous items remain in the home or on the road, according to a Consumer Reports study. The study found almost one-third of all recalled vehicles, more than half of toys, appliances and other household items, and three-quarters of child car seats aren't being repaired or returned to stores.
The FDA Is Damned No Matter What They Do
The FDA is damned if it does or doesn’t regulate drug safety. To understand why the current calls for deregulation by the current administration are foolhardy, it helps to know some history as to why regulations exist.
Why Medical Devices Aren’t Safer
Things sometimes go wrong with airbags, food and drugs, prompting recalls. It can also happen with medical devices, though you’d think lifesaving devices like heart defibrillators or artificial hips would be closely monitored. But the data needed to systematically and rapidly identify dangerous medical devices are not routinely collected in the United States. It wouldn’t be that hard to do.
Why the medicine you take could actually be bad for your health
Rushing medicines to market is supposed to help people in need. But relying on lower standards of evidence may ultimately cause more harm than good.
Recalls of medical devices and drugs are up - can anyone predict when it will happen next?
From the valsartan blood pressure drug contamination that exposed thousands of patients to cancer-causing impurities, to a massive pacemaker recall undertaken to fix a hazardous software bug in half-a-million cardiac devices, health care product quality problems are ever-present and highly dangerous. In fact, medical product recalls – in particular severe, life-threatening pharmaceutical drug and medical device recalls – have increased steadily over the last decade.
Recall Guide
Recall Guide is the most effective, easiest to use medication tracking platform on the market. Best of all, it's free! Keep track of your medications, and learn about important recalls and prescription information that may directly affect you. Our goal is to supply important and helpful information about your prescriptions. We do this by leveraging an active community of users and by sharing important updates about the safety of specific drugs.
Recall Report
Recall Report was created to alert the public to the latest information on dangerous drugs and products. Big corporations have been known to put profits over people. We stand by your side to get you the information you need, and the financial support you deserve if you or a loved one was injured by a dangerous drug or product.
Recalls.gov
To provide better service in alerting the American people to unsafe, hazardous or defective products, six federal agencies with vastly different jurisdictions have joined together to create www.recalls.gov -- a "one stop shop" for U.S. Government recalls.
US Recall News
US RecallNews is a non-government, privatly-owned website dedicated to bringing you news and information about the latest consumer product recalls, including recalled food, vehicles, pharmaceutical drugs and more.
Safe Kids Worldwide
Hundreds of products are recalled by the U.S. federal government each year. If a product is recalled, it must be removed from store shelves, but often recalled products can still be found on the second-hand market or in homes.
Auto Recalls
Know before you go to your local dealer: Check for recalls on all models and years before you buy.
Dangerous Drugs and Products
Prescription drugs, over the counter medications, and medical devices are supposed to help people feel better. Pharmaceutical and device companies spend millions, and sometimes billions, of dollars researching and developing products that target specific diseases, conditions, and symptoms. Unfortunately, while many of these products heal people, bring relief, and even cure diseases, they may also cause harm, secondary conditions, or debilitating side effects.
Drugs & Devices UK
No product is ever risk free. Some of the risks are known about when a medicine is first licensed or medical device first used. However, some information only comes to light later as more people use the products. This section includes current and historic alerts, messages and advice and guidance we have issued about products. This section also includes our safety reporting forms for medicines, medical devices and blood.
Drugs Withdrawn
Some drugs have been withdrawn from the market because of risks to the patients. Usually this has been prompted by unexpected adverse effects that were not detected during Phase III clinical trials and were only apparent from postmarketing surveillance data from the wider patient community. This list is not limited to drugs that were ever approved by the FDA.
DrugWatch
DrugWatch.com is a comprehensive Web site database featuring extensive information about thousands of different medications and drugs currently on the market or previously available worldwide. DrugWatch.com includes up-to-date information about prescription and over-the-counter medications and includes details about associated side effects to aid in the protection of patients and consumers.
Food Recalls
Food Safety News is a daily Web-based newspaper dedicated to reporting on issues surrounding food safety. Here we have created one place that pulls it all together for the food safety community and fills a void in our food safety system. It is about using the Web to put as much available food safety information in one place as is possible.
Food Recalls Canada
The CFIA issues public advisories for all food products where consumption of the food could cause serious health consequences. The CFIA classifies recalls based on the level of health risk associated with the food product being recalled.
Food Recalls Europe
The central goal of the European Commission's food safety policy is to ensure a high level of protection of human health and consumers' interests in relation to food, taking into account diversity, including traditional products, whilst ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market.
Food Recalls UK
To ensure food safety is monitored at every stage of the food chain, the Agency provides advice, practical support materials and funding for inspection and sampling programmes at a national and local level.
Toy and Product Recalls
Are your baby's and kid's toys and gear safe? Find out here.
Vehicle Recalls
Is your car safe? Has the manufacturer recalled your car because a fault has been identified? Search official recalls from 1995 onwards to check if your car has been affected.
FDA
This section includes the most significant product actions over the last five years based on the extent of distribution and the degree of health risk. In this section, you will find a listing of FDA and industry press releases regarding the product recalls.
Health Canada
Health Canada provides timely information on issues that concern the health of Canadians. There are 4 types of risk communications products: Public Advisories; Public Warnings; Information Updates; and Foreign Product Alerts.
Mattel
Recalls & safety alerts for U.S. and Canadian consumers only.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA conducts defect investigations and administers safety recalls to support its mission to improve safety on our nation's highways. NHTSA is authorized to order manufacturers to recall and repair vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment when investigations indicate they contain serious safety defects in their design, construction, or performance.
Rite Aid
See details about products recalled from Rite Aid stores.
Stericycle Expert Solutions
Stericycle Expert Solutions is a true business partner — an on-call extension of each customer’s team with a staff standing ready to guide companies through the recall, retrieval, return, and audit processes.
The New York Times
Recalls and bans of products.
USDA
This page contains summary data on active recall cases regarding the food industry.
Walmart
The recall information provided here is based on manufacturers' and regulatory agencies' press releases that involve product sold through Walmart stores, Walmart.com, Sam's Club or Samsclub.com. The information includes the products involved and the steps on what you should do if you have one of the recalled items.
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Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.
