Generic Lipitor Recall: What You Need to Know

A big recall of generic Lipitor, also known as atorvastatin, has recently happened. This affects a lot of people who take this medicine to lower their cholesterol. The recall is because some pills didn't dissolve right, which means they might not work as they should. The company that made these pills is called Ascend Laboratories. They are based in the U. S. , but the pills were actually made in India by a company called Alkem Laboratories. This is a big deal because many medicines are now made overseas, and it's harder for the FDA to check them all. If you take atorvastatin, you should check your pills. Look at the label to see if it says "MFG Ascend" or "MFR Ascend. " If it does, you might have the recalled pills. You can also check the numbers on the label to see if they match the ones on the FDA's recall list. Don't stop taking your medicine without talking to your doctor first. Even if your pills are part of the recall, it's still better to take them than to stop taking them altogether. Your pharmacist can help you find a different version of the medicine that's not part of the recall. This isn't the first time there have been problems with medicines made overseas. There have been other recalls because of bad manufacturing practices. The FDA is trying to do more to check these medicines, but it's a big job. In the meantime, it's important to pay attention to how your medicine is working. If it suddenly stops working, it might be because of a problem with that batch. You can report this to the FDA to help them catch problems faster.