Possibility of mixed drugs from Endo Pharmaceuticals

The FDA recently warned physicians and the public about the possibility of packaging mix-ups of some prescription opiate medications and over-the-counter non-opiate products manufactured and packaged for Endo Pharmaceuticals by Novartis Consumer Health. A stray pill of one medication may have ended up in the bottle of another product.

According to an FDA advisory, patients and health care professionals should examine opiate medicines made by Endo and ensure that all tablets are the same. The agency also expects shortages for these products and is working with the manufacturer to minimize the impact. A recall was issued for potentially affected over-the-counter products, including Excedrin, NoDoz, Bufferin and Gas-X.