WTOC-TV: Savannah, Beaufort, SC, News, Weather & Sports Over the counter pain pills recalled after fear of contamination

It's been a month since bottles of Excedrin, Bufferin, No Doz, and Gas X were recalled, but the shelves of the Richmond Hill Pharmacy still remain empty.

"Several weeks ago we got a notice from our wholesaler saying there had been a class one recall, and we needed to pull all the affected products immediately," explained Pharmacist, Al Dixon.

The drug maker, Novartis, said the recall was because some of those packages may have broken and chipped pills inside the bottle. But the Richmond Hill Pharmacy's wholesaler, also sent them letter, painting a far different picture.

"When we pulled the Excedrin, No Doz, and Gas X, there were concerns that there had been some contamination at the plant."

A fact Dixon also confirmed through another web site and in a statement by the Federal Food and Drug Administration. The statement said the pills may contain amounts of percocet and morphine, just two of nine pain killers also made by Novartis, at a facility in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Dr. Edward Cox, Director of the FDA's office of Antiviral Products said "There was a slight but real risk that opiate prescription drugs could end up in the over the counter products."

All pharmacies were told to pull the remedies, right away.

Novartis issued a statement stating "We want to reiterate that we have no reports that a mix up of Novartis Consumer Health OTC products and prescription pain pills manufactured at the Lincoln facility has occurred."

Novartis went on to state "Excedrin, No Doz and Bufferin are not manufactured or packaged in the same area as the prescription pain pills. Gas X Prevention is the only Novartis Consumer Health product packaged on the same line as the prescription products. The likelihood of finding a prescription medication in a Gas X prevention bottle is low."

Either way, you're not going to find any of these products on pharmacy shelves for a very long time. Dixon said he was told not to expect a shipment of Excedrin, Bufferin, No Doz, or Gas X, until May or June. Not good news for migraine sufferers, like Jeannie Paro.

"I thought, ' Oh no, there goes my headache medicine. I've been taking Excedrin for years. Usually I just take one and the headache goes right away."

While it will be a pain for her to find another over the counter pain medication, the real headache may fall on pharmacists.

"As we dispense the prescription painkillers, percocet and morphine, made by Novartis, we're required to inspect each tablet. We're still doing that," he said.

An official with the FDA said they would release a statement to WTOC. So far, no statement has been sent.

For more information on the recalled pills, go to http://www.novartisOTC.com.

You can also call the drug company at 1.888.477.2403.

To see the FDA's statement, go to http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20120109/bufferin-excedrin-nodoz-gasx-recall.

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