Device Recalls Down, Drug Recalls Up in 3rd Quarter

Stericycle Expert Solutions says that medical device recalls fell 39% to 167 in the third quarter of 2017. It was the lowest quarter for the industry since the fourth quarter of 2011. Despite the steep drop, however, the group says, recalled units increased 1% to 68 million.

“The main reason was sterility issues,” Stericycle says, “causing 89.4% of all medical device recalled units. Software issues were the biggest cause of recalls at 24.6%, making it the top recall cause for the sixth quarter in a row.”

For the third quarter, pharmaceutical recalls increased 3% to 89, the highest since the fourth quarter of 2014. “More significantly,” the group says, “the number of recalled drug units spiked 290%, the highest total of any quarter since Q1 2012. The chief cause was sterility problems, which accounted for 96.7% of all recalled units, largely from one pharmaceutical manufacturer.”