29. Hudson Foods     • No. of cases: 16     • No. of deaths: 0     When the Department of Agriculture told Hudson Foods Inc. to recall 25 million pounds of beef

Product recalls over the past week included one for homeopathic drugs, two involving nose sprays and another two for potential E. coli contamination of ground beef products.

Here's a roundup of various food and drug recalls from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration for the week of Aug. 27-31:

• Homeopathic drugs: Homeopathic drug maker King Bio recalled all its products for children, adults and pets that use water over concerns of possible purity issues. This is the third expanded product recall for the Asheville, North Carolina, company, that makes products such as Dr. King’s Children’s Cough Relief, Dr. King’s Children’s Ear Relief Formula and Dr. King’s Cold Sore treatment.

Last month, King Bio recalled Aquaflora Candida HP9, Lymph Detox and Baby Teething liquids for possible microbial contamination, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Two weeks ago, the company expanded that to 32 more products including Dr. King’s Baby Colic Relief and Dr. King’s Natural Medicine Children's Cough Relief, the FDA says.

After an FDA inspection, the agency contacted the company and recommended recalling all products that include water including Natural Pet Pharmaceuticals and Natural Veterinary products for pets.

• Prescription drugs: Mislabeling of blood pressure medication led to another FDA recall. A specific lot of hydrochlorothiazide tablets (PW05264, USP 12.5 milligrams) has been recalled after a bottle was found to contain a different kind of diuretic, spironolactone tablets (USP 25 milligrams) used to treat congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver and other ailments.

Both medications help bodies get rid of extra salt and water, and the effects of mixing up the medications would depend on the individual but can range from "limited" to "life-threatening," the FDA said. Drug maker Accord Healthcare Inc. said they have not received any reports of adverse incidents relating to this recall.

• Over-the-counter drugs: Pfizer voluntarily recalled one specific lot of bubble-gum flavored Children's Advil over mislabeling concerns.

According to the alert, the liquid pain reliever and fever reducer's dosage cup measures in teaspoons, while the instructions on the label are described in milliliters. This could potentially make it easy for an overdose to occur upon use of the product. 

The specific lot of the 4-ounce bottles (R51129) was distributed nationally from May 2018 to June 2018.

Nose sprays: In another measure related to the King Bio recall, HelloLife in Grand Rapids, Michigan, recalled four nose sprays – Neuroveen, Respitrol, Thyroveev and Compulsin – all produced at
King Bio's Asheville facility, due to possible microbial contamination.The recall was for a single lot of 2-ounce bottles of each product withexpiration dates of July 2019. For more information, visit the FDA
site.

Also, Product Quest Manufacturing, maker of the CVS Health 12-Hour Sinus Relief Nasal Mist, expanded a voluntary recall from earlier this month, originally dealing with a specific lot of the spray to include all of its nasal products and baby oral gels. The initial recall was made because the nasal mist could have a "microbiological contamination."

The expanded recall, made out of an abundance of caution, includes all the products manufactured at the company’s Holly Hill, Florida, facility, some with expiration dates into the year 2020, the FDA says.

Repeated use of a contaminated nasal product can lead to potential infection, which can be life-threatening in certain patient populations, such as those with cystic fibrosis or immune-compromised individuals, the FDA says. And repetitive use of an oral gel containing a pathogen can potentially lead to life-threatening infections in certain patients including babies or very young children. 

Product Quest, which has said it had not identified any incidents connected to the nasal sprays and gels, makes products sold as store brands for retailers including CVS, Dollar Family Dollar, Rite-Aid, Meijer, Walgreens and other stores. Product names include: Humist Saline Nasal Mist, Rhinall Drops, CVS Saline Nasal Mist, CVS Allergy Saline Nasal Mist, CVS Baby Saline Nasal Gel, Family Dollar Saline Nasal Spray, and Well At Walgreens Maximum Strength Nasal Spray.

• Ground beef: The week included two recalls over concern for possible E. coli contamination of ground beef products.

Supermarket chain Publix recalled an undetermined amount of potentially contaminated products made with ground chuck and shipped to Florida stores over concerns of E. coli contamination, the Agriculture Department says. The ground beef products – including bacon & cheddar burgers, Spanish meatballs, and swiss and mushroom sliders – were shipped to two dozen counties in Florida including Brevard, Citrus, Hillsborough, Sarasota and St. Lucie. They were purchased by consumers between June 25 and July 31, the USDA says.

Cargill recalled about 12 tons of ground beef for possible E. coli contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. The 25,288 pounds of ground beef products from Cargill's Fort Morgan, Colorado, plant were produced Aug. 16,and shipped to warehouses in California and Colorado. There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products, the USDA says.

• Baby formula: Although there technically was no recall, pharmacy retailer CVS pulled Enfamil powdered baby formula from shelves nationwide after a Florida mother found what appeared to be all-purpose flour in a package she purchased near Tampa. In its internal review, CVS said it has found no related problems in markets outside of Tampa.

Enfamil maker Mead Johnson Nutrition says there has been no recall, and the company has been cooperating with CVS and the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, spokesperson Lynn Kenney told USA TODAY. CVS resumed sale of Enfamil prodcuts in its stores by the end of the day Friday, CVS spokesman Gary Serby told USA TODAY Saturday.

Source:  eu.usatoday.com