Hospira recalls Propofol drug again
pharmafile | February 10, 2015 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Sales and Marketing | Hospira, Pfizer, diprivan, manufacturing, merger, propofol
Hospira has issued a recall of anaesthesia support drug Propofol after the neck of one vial was revealed to contain traces of iron.
In April Hospira began reclaiming seven lots of the treatment due to identical chemical contamination. Propofol (diprivan) is used to support patients before and during common anaesthesia for surgery, and is also used to assist those requiring a breathing tube connected to a ventilator.
The cancellation of 126,075 vials of the drug comes as Pfizer announces its $17 million acquisition of Hospira, at the same time citing the US firm for its “strong injectable drug business and its position in biosimilars”.
This is not the only recall Hospira has faced recently, as only in October the company issued a retraction of one lot of its Virazole (ribavirin powder for solution) – indicated for the treatment of infants and young children with severe lower respiratory tract infections due to respiratory syncytial virus – in the US due to ‘uncontrolled storage during transit’.
Hospira has also reported manufacturing problems at its India and Australia plants. It intends to shut down one of its facilities after receiving a number of FDA warning letters, furthermore its Clayton plant in North Carolina is set to close later this year affecting 250 jobs.
The Pfizer takeover looks set to close later this year and will give the firm the opportunity to boost its portfolio of generic injectable drugs and copycat biotech medicines.
Commenting on the deal Ian Read, who is the chairman and chief executive officer at Pfizer, says: “Hospira’s business aligns well with our new commercial structure and is an excellent strategic fit for our Global Established Pharmaceutical business, which will benefit from a significantly enhanced product portfolio in growing markets.”
Despite the firm racking up 40 separate recalls since 2012, Hospira has still gone on to become the world’s largest producer of generic injectable medicines.
The Financial Times reports that annual revenues for Hospira have topped $4 billion and its market capitalisation before Pfizer’s approach, was $10.7 billion.
Tom Robinson
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