A group of American consumers has approached a court in the United States to consider a complete recall of Ranbaxy’s blockbuster generic drug Lipitor from pharmacies and consumers. Last November, RanbaxyBSE -3.48 % had effected a limited recall of 41 lots of the drug from US pharmacies as it feared some of its drugs may be containing tiny glass particles. The consumers have sought a preliminary injunction in a district court of New Jersey in late January, alleging that many of those patients who consumed Ranbaxy’s generic Lipitor have suffered health problems such as pain, bleeding and digestive problems. They cited the cases of four patients. The latest plea from consumers who are seeking refund and compensation for the drugs they bought, claims that Ranbaxy had faltered on labeling its generic Lipitor three months before the November recall. “In August of 2012, before the current recall, Ranbaxy had other problems with their Atorvastatin (generic name for Lipitor), that involved them mislabeling the dosage of pills they shipped, which is potentially very dangerous for consumers,” the class suit filed against the firm said. A Ranbaxy spokesperson refused to comment on the matter. In a consumer level recall, a company has to incur additional expense in publicity of the recall through different media channels - print, electronic and across the trade channels - specifying which batches or lots are faulty. A central recall unit monitors the performance and effectiveness of the whole process.
