By Lisa Wade McCormick
ConsumerAffairs.com
November 20, 2009
Procter & Gamble has issued a multinational recall of some of its Vicks Sinex nasal spray after finding the bacteria B. cepacia in products made at the company's plant in Gross Gerau, Germany.
The company pulled three lots of the nasal spray sold in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
Procter and Gamble said it took this "precautionary step" after detecting the bacteria during a routine quality control check at the plant.
"The company's analysis to date shows this problem is limited to a single batch of raw material mixture involving three lots of product," the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wrote in a statement released late Thursday. "These three lots were sold only in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom."
Procter and Gamble said it found the bacteria in a small amount of the Vicks spray from one lot sold in the United States. The company is now testing the U.K. and German lots made from the same batch of raw material mixture, according to the FDA.
There are no reports of illnesses linked to the recalled products. But the FDA warned the bacteria could cause serious infections in people with compromised immune system or those with cystic fibrosis and other chronic lung conditions.
The FDA has a complete list of the products involved in the recall. The lot numbers are listed on the outer carton and the bottle.
Consumers with any of the recalled products should immediately discard them and contact Procter and Gamble for a replacement coupon or refund, the FDA said.
U.S. customers can contact Procter and Gamble at 1-877-876-7881; customers in the United Kingdom should call 0800-5555-15; and customers in Germany can call 0800-111-6131.
The FDA said consumers should report any adverse reactions from this or other products to the agency's MedWatch Program.
