Meitheal Recalls Cisatracurium Besylate Injection

Meitheal Pharmaceuticals is voluntarily recalling one (1) lot of Cisatracurium Besylate Injection, USP 10mg per 5mL to the user level. The decision to recall the product was made after a product complaint revealed that a portion of Lot C11507A of cartons labeled as Cisatracurium Besylate Injection, USP 10mg per 5mL, containing 10-vials per carton, contained 10-vials mis-labeled as Phenylephrine Hydrochloride Injection, USP 100mg per 10mL. To date, Meitheal has not received reports of any adverse events or identifiable safety concerns attributed to the lot.

There is a reasonable probability that a patient who requires cisatracurium for muscle paralysis as part of general anesthesia is administered phenylephrine instead would not receive any skeletal muscle relaxation and could cause a hyperadrenergic state resolution in elevated blood pressure, arrhythmia and cardiac/brain ischemia. If this is not quickly diagnosed and treated, severe illness or death can occur.

There is a reasonable probability that a patient who requires phenylephrine to increase their blood pressure, such as patients with severely low blood pressure, especially resulting from septic shock who is administered cisatracurium instead could result in a fast onset of muscle paralysis and decrease in oxygen. If this is not quickly diagnosed and treated, severe illness or death can occur within minutes.

Cisatracurium Besylate Injection is used as a nondepolarizing neuromuscular blocker. The affected Cisatracurium Besylate Injection lot being recalled is C11507A, EXP. October 2021. The product can be identified as a 5mL vial stoppered with a rubber stopper and sealed with aluminum seal having an Aqua color flip-off seal. Meitheal commenced shipping the product to customers on August 19, 2020 which was distributed to wholesalers nationwide in the USA.