newjerseynewsroom.com

Common blood thinner is used to treat or prevent blood clots after surgery

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. announced Monday it is recalling eight production lots of its anti-clotting drug Coumadin because the amount of the active ingredient in the drug could change.

The company said the recall is precautionary, and no side effects have been reported. NorthJersey.com reports on their website that Bristol-Myers Squibb is recalling five production lots of Coumadin hospital unit doses and three lots of physician samples. The recall includes only 1-milligram tablets distributed in the U.S. in blister packs. No bottled medicine or other doses are involved.

Bristol-Myers Squibb said the amount of isopropanol in the tablets could change over time. Isopropanol is used to keep the drug's active ingredient in a crystalline state. The changing levels of isopropanol could increase or reduce the amount of the active ingredient in the tablets.

Coumadin is a common blood thinner that is used to treat or prevent blood clots after surgery. Bristol-Myers Squibb said the risk of clots could increase if the level of active ingredient decreases, and if there is too much of the ingredient, patients could face a greater risk of bleeding.

The coumadin tablets have expiration dates between June 2011 and November 2012.

— BOB HOLT, NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM