Physicians Observations Preceed Generic Drug Recall

Some generic gersions of the brand-name drug Toprol® are recalled

Cleveland Clinic’s cardiologist, Dr. Harry Lever, noticed repeat occurrences patients reporting chest pain when switched off of brand name Toprol and onto generic equivalents of this beta blocker used to treat high blood pressure. Once returned to Toprol brand version of the drug, the chest pains disappear. Dr. Lever reported this to the FDA but had no proving evidence aside from his observations. Sadly, his observations had a base as we now see two large Indian manufacturers, Wockhardt and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, announcing recalls of more than 100,000 bottles because their products were not dissolving properly.

Read the details in this article by by Katie Thomas of the New York Times.