Recall alert: CDC announces recall of 4.2 million Nurtec ODT packages

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of millions of Pfizer’s Nurtec ODT tablets due to a packaging issue. Pfizer said in an email to Cox Media Group’s National Content Desk “there have been no packaging-related adverse events to date.”

>> Read more trending news

The packaging that the prescription medication for migraines comes in is not child resistant, which is required by the Poison Prevention Packaging Act, according to the CPSC.

The orally disintegrating tablets come on a blister card containing eight tablets in a carton that shows the name of the medication, the dosage strength, the NDC number and the expiration date.

The CPSC said 4.2 million tablets are affected by the recall. But that number, according to Pfizer, is an estimate of the number of pills prescribed since late 2021. Pfizer said the company estimates there are about 300,000 units remaining available to the public.

The recalled medication is the Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) 75mg 8-unit dose blister pack with NDC number 72618-3000-2 and expiration dates through 6/2026, the CPSC said. It was sold through pharmacies nationwide from December 2021 through March 2023.

The CPSC instructs people who have the medication to secure it out of sight and reach from children and to contact Pfizer to get a child-resistant pouch to store the medication.

The medication, however, is safe to take as directed. Pfizer said in an email to Cox Media Group’s Content Desk, that the company is developing new packaging for the medication that will be compliant with child-resistant packaging rules and is instructing pharmacists to place the medication in a child-resistant vial when dispensing to patients.

For more information, consumers are being told to contact Pfizer at 800-879-3477, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, or online.

©2023 Cox Media Group