As if birth control doesn’t have enough problems, a popular brand of contraceptive pills has been recalled due to a packaging error. The placebo tablets from the pack were out of sequence, and the pharmaceutical company responsible said people taking the pill could be at risk for unintended pregnancy.
“A confirmed market complaint indicated a packaging error,” according to a statement from Lupin Pharmaceuticals, which noticed the error last month.
The error affected the company’s Mibelas 24 Fe birth control tablets in batch No. L600518, which expire May 2018, according to the statement. The pack typically comes with 24 white tablets with active ingredients, reading “LU” on one side and “N81” on the other. The four remaining placebo tablets have “LU” on one side and “M22” on the other side.
In the recalled batch, the packaging was rotated 180 degrees, causing the tablets to be in reverse order.
“The first four days of therapy would have had four non-hormonal placebo tablets as opposed to the active tablets,” the statement said.
In the statement, Lupin added that people most likely didn’t notice if they were taking tablets from the botched batch, “increasing the likelihood of taking the tablets out of order.” However, the company also said so far there have been no reports of unintended pregnancy due to the packaging error.
Lupin said it is “notifying distributors and customers” with a recall letter, but anyone who has the affected tablets should notify their doctor and return the birth control to their pharmacy.
H/T the Cut