VA recalls all Nephron prescriptions over contamination fears

Check your prescriptions: Fear of contaminated drugs has led the Department of Veterans Affairs to recall all medicines made by Nephron Pharmaceuticals.

VA officials told 5 On Your Side they made the decision after an FDA inspection found bacterial contamination on equipment and cross contamination of drugs at Nephron’s manufacturing facility in South Carolina.

A veteran and WRAL viewer alerted us to the VA’s recall of all Nephron products after getting a letter in the mail.

Deputy Press Secretary John Santos explained the VA’s actions in this statement: "Veteran safety is the utmost concern to VA. VHA initiated an internal recall and removed all Nephron products from use based on the issuance of a warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration to Nephron SC Inc related to inspection of the drug manufacturing facility. There were multiple violations of good manufacturing practices found during the inspection, including bacterial contamination on some equipment and cross contamination of drugs across products. The nebulizer inhalation solution products were not specifically tested during the FDA inspection, but VA experts felt that there was a risk of serious harm for Veterans if these products were inhaled directly into the lungs should they contain contaminants."

Nephron claims to be a world leader in Respiratory medication manufacturing, but in the October warning letter from the FDA that Santos referenced, Nephron’s responses and investigations to the contaminations were called "inadequate."

Nephron recalled some of their products, but the VA went a step further and recalled all of them. The VA made the decision in part because they say the FDA changed the rating of Nephron’s facility to unacceptable for good manufacturing practices.

Local VA clinics and individual veterans with these prescriptions should have gotten a notification about the recall in December.

Veterans are being told to throw out Nephron medications and that the VA will work with them to find replacements.

Nephron responded to our questions with this statement: “First and foremost, Nephron takes any such correspondence from the VA or any agency seriously. Second, Nephron will work with the VA – in the same cooperative and collaborative manner it has worked with FDA this year – to resolve any outstanding matters or concerns the VA has. Our commitment to quality remains second to none because the lives of patients depend on the hard work of our team.”