0.25 Percent Bupivacaine Hydrochloride Injection, USP by Hospira: Recall - Particulate Matter

AUDIENCE: Pharmacy, Risk Manager, OBGYN, Dentistry

ISSUE: Hospira, Inc., a Pfizer company, is voluntarily recalling one lot of 0.25% Bupivacaine Hydrochloride Injection, USP (NDC: 0409-1159-02, Lot 59-064- DK, Expiry 1NOV2017) at the hospital/retail level due to the presence of particulate matter within a single vial. In the event that the particulate is administered to a patient, it may result in local swelling, irritation of blood vessels or tissue, blockage of blood vessels and/or low-level allergic response to the particulate.

BACKGROUND: 0.25% Bupivacaine Hydrochloride Injection, USP is indicated for the production of local or regional anesthesia or analgesia for surgery, dental and oral surgery procedures, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, and for obstetrical procedures.

The product is packaged 50 units of 30 mL Single-use Teartop Vials per case, (25 Bottles per tray, two trays per case). The lot was distributed nationwide in the U.S. to wholesalers and hospitals between December 2015 and January 2016. Hospira has initiated an investigation to determine the root cause and corrective and preventive actions.

RECOMMENDATION: Anyone with an existing inventory of the recalled lot should stop use and distribution and quarantine the product immediately. Inform Healthcare Professionals in your organization of this recall. If you have further distributed the recalled product, please notify any accounts or additional locations which may have received the recalled product from you. Further, please instruct entities that may have received the recalled product from you that if they redistributed the product, they should notify their accounts, locations or facilities of the recall to the hospital/retail level.

Healthcare professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program:

Complete and submit the report Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report
Download form or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-FDA-0178

Read the MedWatch safety alert, including a link to the firm's press release, at:

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm515233.htm