Over 141,000 bottles of popular cholesterol medication, Atorvastatin Calcium Tablets, have been recalled as it "failed dissolution specifications". This means the drugs did not pass a solubility test or failed to dissolve at the standard rate. As per the report by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Ascend Laboratories, LLC, which is a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company was the first to recall the use of the tablets on September 19, 2025. Following that, this month the drugs have been recalled under Class II recall, which means that the product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote, notes the FDA. Which Medicines Have Been Recalled?The current recall only affects the bottles of 10mg, 20mg, 40mg, and 80mg of the said drugs, manufactured by Alkem Laboratories, Ltd. of India. The drugs were distributed by Ascend. The recalled bottles contained tablets which ranged from 90-count to 1000-count bottles. The FDA is urging people to speak to a doctor or pharmacist before stopping their cholesterol medicine, or switching to any alternatives. The FDA explains, "consumers can generally continue taking the medicine unless the recalling company provides other instructions. In some instances, stopping your medicine may be more harmful to your health than continuing to take the recalled medicine."What Is A Dissolution Test?This test is conducted to determine the compliance of the drug with the dissolution requirements for dosage forms to be administrated orally. Dissolution specifications are quality control limits for drug products that define the acceptable amount of drug substance that must dissolve in a specified time under laboratory conditions. The test also ensures batch-to-batch consistency and predicts how a drug will be released in the body, providing a surrogate measure of clinical performance. The specifications are based on data from batches, which are used in clinical trials and are then guided by the drug's properties and the dosage form. They vary depending on the drug release types, which could be categorized under three kinds:Immediate Release (IR)Extended Release (ER)Delayed Release (DR)What Does FDA Say About This Recall?As per the FDA, Class I recalls are the most serious, this is where there is a reasonable probability that using or being exposed to the recalled drug could cause serious health consequences to the customer. This recall involves removing the drug from the market and are conducted at consumer level. Class II recall however could cause temporary health consequences but the probability of health issue is remove. FDA notes that "these recalls are generally conducted at the retail level, and patients and consumers can continue using the medicine unless otherwise directed by the recalling company or FDA."FDA says that for class II or class III recalls, consumers may "generally continue taking the medicine unless the recalling company provides other instructions".
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