Why are some drugs recalled?

Drugs are generally recalled from the marketplace when the manufacturer or regulator discovers defects make them unreasonably dangerous. Defects can occur at the design stage (insufficient testing for harmful side effects or curative properties or falsified test results), during the manufacturing process (impurities, incorrect ingredients, or improper dosing), or during distribution (improper handling/storage guidelines, labelling or marketing). Recall notices may cover entire classes of drugs or only certain batches of drugs produced. The level of assessed risk of the defect will determine the scope of the recall and how it is communicated to people deemed to be at risk.