Second drug involved in key veterinary drug recall
By Christie Keith
January 12, 2010
The FDA shutdown of Teva Animal Health last July was not the end of the story — and neither was a drug recall announced on Dec. 22 and expanded on Dec. 29. A document released today by the FDA reveals that the recall is wider in scope than previously revealed. The drugs in questions are commonly used in veterinary medicine to induce anesthesia and for pain control.
This is copy of a document (PDF) sent to Teva’s distributors on Sept. 4, 2009, more than three months before the recall was announced publicly, in which the drug company recalled not only Teva’s ketamine, but a number of brands manufactured by Teva for major drug companies, as well as a second drug, injectable butorphanol, which has not yet been publicly recalled.
The recalled drugs are:
Ketamine:
- Ketaset (Fort Dodge/Pfizer)
- KetaVed (VEDCO), KetaThesia (Butler)
- VetaKet (LLOYD Laboratories)
- Ketaject (Phoenix)
- Keta-Sthetic (RVX)
- AmTech Group, Inc.
Butorphanol:
- EQUANOL (VEDCO)
- ButorJect (Phoenix)
- TorphaJect (Butler)
This is the “distributor level recall” referenced in the FDA’s Dec. 22 announcement of the ketamine recall. The file came from deputy communications staffer Laura Alvey, in response to our inquiry to the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine. She confirmed that “there was no expansion on the Butorphanol (recall) … only the Ketamine products due to the increased trend in adverse events reported.”
I have a lengthy piece on the recall coming out on SFGate.com in the morning, and in the course of investigating, I discovered one other document, this one on the FDA website. It’s the FDA’s report (PDF) of the violations that led them to shut Teva’s plant in St. Joseph, Missouri down.
Those violations included “foreign material floating in” another injectable medication, non-sterile water used to formulate drugs, improperly formulated gentamicin sulfate (an antibiotic) and numerous other failures to properly manufacture drugs, including levothyroxine sodium, a thyroid supplement.
We’re still covering this. In the meantime, if you’re a pet-owner, you need to be talking to your veterinarian in advance of any surgery. If you’re a veterinarian, you need to be checking your inventory for recalled product.
@#$%^&*!!!!!
Comment by Liz Palika — January 12, 2010 @ 5:12 pm
Maybe someone can help answer this? Unfortunately our kitty does not cooperate when we have to take her to the vet so somtimes she has to be given “gas” to anesthetize her for whatever procedure she might be having. Is this drug the same thing that is used when they have to give our kitty “gas”? Thx in advance….
Comment by Sandi K — January 12, 2010 @ 5:29 pm
Sandi, although they do sometimes give gas to what are called “fractious cats,” that is really a method of last resort as it’s very dangerous to do that.
However, no, ketamine is an IV drug, not a gas.
Comment by Christie Keith — January 12, 2010 @ 7:10 pm
OK thanks Christie, I appreciate the info. I know, I wish they didnt have to do that, but so far our girl has attacked the lab tech everytime she tries to draw blood, she lunges at her the minute the lab tech walks into the room. I wish there was some other way…this is all new for us as our prior kitty was an angel at the vet office.
Comment by Sandi K — January 12, 2010 @ 9:31 pm
Thanks for covering this. Pity it’s being covered more broadly.
Charlie is going in for knee surgery on Monday. I’ll take a list with me.
Comment by Janeen — January 12, 2010 @ 9:46 pm
How did the 24 hr emergency vet clinic we had to go to the other night not know about the recall?! Taking a copy of this for the follow up visit.
Comment by cb — January 13, 2010 @ 12:51 am
BTW, Christie, do you know yet how this relates to their human pharmaceutical branch? The FDA is doing a study on their generic wellbutrin due to many complaints.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....acy29.html
Comment by cb — January 13, 2010 @ 1:05 am
Makes it all the more infuriating that the emergency clinic that bent us over for sutures this fall, and insisted that the dogs needed to be anesthetized, not only overtreated and overcharged — they administered preanesthetic without my consent.
What did they inject into my dogs?
The next Saturday night barbed-wire incident, I stapled my own compliant and uncomplaining beast, no possibly tainted drugs necessary for chemical restraint.
Comment by H. Houlahan — January 13, 2010 @ 7:58 am
Could someone tell me what are the adverse reactions/possible long term effects of being given a recalled drug? Is it just death? The sfgate article seemed a bit vague to me. My dog went in for some dental work and I’m concerned now what the effects might be if she was given one of these recalled drugs.
Comment by susie — January 13, 2010 @ 10:28 am
Crap, one of Pip’s daughters had surgery this morning, and her owner got my heads-up (sent late last night) an hour after the operation. I’d thought Tia was scheduled for tomorrow, not today.
She seems to be waking up now, though.
Comment by H. Houlahan — January 13, 2010 @ 11:52 am
Thanks for this info, I knew about the ketamine recall but not the other.
One suggestion - print out this information and tape a copy of it (with packaging tape) to the top of all your pet carriers. No way to misplace it or forget about it that way, and easy for the vet’s office to see.
I loaned my carrier to a neighbor last week and did that, since I wasn’t going to be there in person.
Comment by Kim — January 13, 2010 @ 1:03 pm
I have basically the same question as Susie. My dog was under anesthesia multiple times in the last month. Are there possible side effects I should be on the look out for?
Comment by monkeypedia — January 13, 2010 @ 1:25 pm
I don’t really know, but I would think if nothing has shown up yet, you’re in the clear.
Comment by Christie Keith — January 13, 2010 @ 1:33 pm
Just printed this out for the specialist Linsdey will see tomorrow “just in case.” I thought about printing out a second copy for next month when Linsdey gets his teeth cleaned, but thought “Hey, that’s a month away — there will probably be more drugs added to the list by then!”
Such an optimist since the 2007 pet food recall! :-P
Comment by Dorene — January 13, 2010 @ 4:03 pm
Recently, my 10 month old, 4 lbs. Yorkie went to have a hernia repaired. Her heart quit on the table and they lost her. My vet was just as upset as I was and as I raise Yorkies, he’s performed numerous c-sections and spays for me without incident. Is it possible, these recalled drugs could have caused this?
Comment by Michelle — January 19, 2010 @ 12:24 am