Joined Feb 2011
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Forum Thread
RECALL: Excedrin®, NoDoz®, Bufferin® and Gas-X® Prevention® products
January 9, 2012 at
05:10 AM
in
Grocery
(7)
Rite Aid
http://www.novartis-otc.com/otc/index.html
Novartis Consumer Health (NCH) is voluntarily recalling all lots of select bottle sizes of Excedrin® and NoDoz® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2014 or earlier as well as Bufferin® and Gas-X® Prevention® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2013 or earlier, in the United States.
NCH is taking this action as a precautionary measure, because the products may contain stray tablets, capsules, or caplets from other Novartis products, or contain broken or chipped tablets.
As this is a voluntary recall at the consumer level, Novartis Consumer Health advises consumers who have purchased these recalled products to discontinue use and return them to Novartis Consumer Health for a full refund.
Consumers that have the product(s) being recalled should contact the Novartis Consumer Relationship Center at 1-888-477-2403 (available Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time) for information on how to return the affected products and receive reimbursement.
Consumers also may click here to obtain a form to obtain a refund.
These actions have been communicated to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We are working closely with the FDA and will continue to do so throughout this process.
Additional information may also be found on the FDA website at www.fda.gov.
*Update* I just got off the phone with the rebate center, finally got through. For the opened meds he took the down the lot # expiration date, product name and count. He said I will be getting fair market value on these items. Note* a few of the opened items were expired I don't know what they will give me for fair market value on those, didn't say. I asked what fair market value was and he said he didn't know.
For the items that are in boxes I have to send in the upc with the form he told me to attached separate sheet with the items listed because there isn't enough room on the original sheet. I will be taking a pic of all my upc's and form for future reference. He also said that they would only give $2 for postage. I asked if he could just take all the information over the phone he told me no I would have to mail them in.
**There have been differing reports of directions received from cs reps. Suggest if you call for yourself. Document the reps name, time, date, and take pictures.
Novartis Consumer Health (NCH) is voluntarily recalling all lots of select bottle sizes of Excedrin® and NoDoz® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2014 or earlier as well as Bufferin® and Gas-X® Prevention® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2013 or earlier, in the United States.
NCH is taking this action as a precautionary measure, because the products may contain stray tablets, capsules, or caplets from other Novartis products, or contain broken or chipped tablets.
As this is a voluntary recall at the consumer level, Novartis Consumer Health advises consumers who have purchased these recalled products to discontinue use and return them to Novartis Consumer Health for a full refund.
Consumers that have the product(s) being recalled should contact the Novartis Consumer Relationship Center at 1-888-477-2403 (available Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time) for information on how to return the affected products and receive reimbursement.
Consumers also may click here to obtain a form to obtain a refund.
These actions have been communicated to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We are working closely with the FDA and will continue to do so throughout this process.
Additional information may also be found on the FDA website at www.fda.gov.
*Update* I just got off the phone with the rebate center, finally got through. For the opened meds he took the down the lot # expiration date, product name and count. He said I will be getting fair market value on these items. Note* a few of the opened items were expired I don't know what they will give me for fair market value on those, didn't say. I asked what fair market value was and he said he didn't know.
For the items that are in boxes I have to send in the upc with the form he told me to attached separate sheet with the items listed because there isn't enough room on the original sheet. I will be taking a pic of all my upc's and form for future reference. He also said that they would only give $2 for postage. I asked if he could just take all the information over the phone he told me no I would have to mail them in.
**There have been differing reports of directions received from cs reps. Suggest if you call for yourself. Document the reps name, time, date, and take pictures.
Community Wiki
Last Edited by dodgeball
January 19, 2012
at
09:11 AM
1.Check your Novartis OTC product to see if it has been affected by this recall. Click on the link for the product list of the brand you purchased.
Here is the FDA pdf list of the exact products being recalled, including UPC codes and NDC codes.
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Safe...286242.p
2.For each product you return, you must fill out a refund form.
refund form link [novartis-otc.com]
3.The form requires that you include:
a.The 10 digit UPC Code, located under the bar code or on the product list.
b.The lot number and the expiration date (located together generally on the bottom or the side panel of the bottle).
4.You may mail back multiple products in one package, however, please note:
a.Each product must have its own refund form
b.Return and refund is only for actual product.
c.A one-time minimum $2.00 shipping reimbursement will be included with your refund.
d.Standard US Ground shipping is recommended.
Language from Novartis website [novartis-otc.com], with links to PDF form and FDA site:
Novartis Consumer Health (NCH) is voluntarily recalling all lots of select bottle sizes of Excedrin® and NoDoz® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2014 or earlier as well as Bufferin® and Gas-X® Prevention® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2013 or earlier, in the United States.
NCH is taking this action as a precautionary measure, because the products may contain stray tablets, capsules, or caplets from other Novartis products, or contain broken or chipped tablets.
As this is a voluntary recall at the consumer level, Novartis Consumer Health advises consumers who have purchased these recalled products to discontinue use and return them to Novartis Consumer Health for a full refund.
Consumers that have the product(s) being recalled should contact the Novartis Consumer Relationship Center at 1-888-477-2403 (available Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time) for information on how to return the affected products and receive reimbursement.
These actions have been communicated to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We are working closely with the FDA and will continue to do so throughout this process.
Additional information may also be found on the FDA website at www.fda.gov. [fda.gov]
Recalled items listed for each product:
All lots of Bufferin® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2013 or earlier.
Bufferin® Extra Strength Tablets
Bufferin® Low Dose Tablets
Bufferin® Regular Strength Tablets
All lots of the following Excedrin® products have been recalled with expiry dates of December 20, 2014 or earlier
Excedrin® Extra Strength Caplets
Excedrin® Extra Strength Express Gel Caplets
Excedrin® Extra Strength Gel Caplets
Excedrin® Extra Strength Tablets
Excedrin® Back & Body Caplets
Excedrin® Sinus Headache Caplets
Excedrin® Migraine Caplets
Excedrin® Migraine Gel Tablets
Excedrin® Migraine Tablets
Excedrin® Menstrual Complete Express Gel Caplets
Excedrin® PM Caplets
Excedrin® PM Express Gel Caplets
Excedrin® PM Tablets
Excedrin® Tension Headache Caplets
Excedrin® Tension Headache Express Gel Caplets
Excedrin® Tension Headache Gel Tablets
All lots of Gas-X® Prevention® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2013 or earlier.
All lots of NoDoz® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2014 or earlier.
Here is the FDA pdf list of the exact products being recalled, including UPC codes and NDC codes.
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Safe...286242.p
2.For each product you return, you must fill out a refund form.
refund form link [novartis-otc.com]
3.The form requires that you include:
a.The 10 digit UPC Code, located under the bar code or on the product list.
b.The lot number and the expiration date (located together generally on the bottom or the side panel of the bottle).
4.You may mail back multiple products in one package, however, please note:
a.Each product must have its own refund form
b.Return and refund is only for actual product.
c.A one-time minimum $2.00 shipping reimbursement will be included with your refund.
d.Standard US Ground shipping is recommended.
Language from Novartis website [novartis-otc.com], with links to PDF form and FDA site:
Novartis Consumer Health (NCH) is voluntarily recalling all lots of select bottle sizes of Excedrin® and NoDoz® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2014 or earlier as well as Bufferin® and Gas-X® Prevention® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2013 or earlier, in the United States.
NCH is taking this action as a precautionary measure, because the products may contain stray tablets, capsules, or caplets from other Novartis products, or contain broken or chipped tablets.
As this is a voluntary recall at the consumer level, Novartis Consumer Health advises consumers who have purchased these recalled products to discontinue use and return them to Novartis Consumer Health for a full refund.
Consumers that have the product(s) being recalled should contact the Novartis Consumer Relationship Center at 1-888-477-2403 (available Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time) for information on how to return the affected products and receive reimbursement.
These actions have been communicated to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We are working closely with the FDA and will continue to do so throughout this process.
Additional information may also be found on the FDA website at www.fda.gov. [fda.gov]
Recalled items listed for each product:
All lots of Bufferin® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2013 or earlier.
Bufferin® Extra Strength Tablets
Bufferin® Low Dose Tablets
Bufferin® Regular Strength Tablets
All lots of the following Excedrin® products have been recalled with expiry dates of December 20, 2014 or earlier
Excedrin® Extra Strength Caplets
Excedrin® Extra Strength Express Gel Caplets
Excedrin® Extra Strength Gel Caplets
Excedrin® Extra Strength Tablets
Excedrin® Back & Body Caplets
Excedrin® Sinus Headache Caplets
Excedrin® Migraine Caplets
Excedrin® Migraine Gel Tablets
Excedrin® Migraine Tablets
Excedrin® Menstrual Complete Express Gel Caplets
Excedrin® PM Caplets
Excedrin® PM Express Gel Caplets
Excedrin® PM Tablets
Excedrin® Tension Headache Caplets
Excedrin® Tension Headache Express Gel Caplets
Excedrin® Tension Headache Gel Tablets
All lots of Gas-X® Prevention® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2013 or earlier.
All lots of NoDoz® products with expiry dates of December 20, 2014 or earlier.
258 Comments
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They are required to set up something like this for people who are really concerned and need to replace the product, but for anyone who isn't even using the product, got it free, etc, I don't see why you would bother to do all this, and the more complicated they make it, the less abuse they will have of this. I use Excedrin every week several times, and I do not want to have to pay more in the future than I have been on the occasions where there are no deals on it, just because Novartis is going to have to raise the prices and/or stop offering coupons to make up for all the money they are paying people who shouldn't be getting any money in the first place.
I have about 20 bottles of various sizes in my medicine cabinet, but they are staying there. Even if all I had to do was call and give my address and info from the boxes, I wouldn't bother, because it isn't necessary. I don't think I've ever taken a pill in my life without looking at it first to make sure it is what it's supposed to be, so I know my life isn't in danger from any of this recalled stuff.
"FDA inspectors cited Novartis' plant for a dozen quality control problems last summer, in a report posted to the agency's website. Company officials failed to properly investigate 166 complaints of mixed-up pills found in Novartis bottles since 2009, according to inspectors. The inspectors also concluded that none of the 223 customer complaints received by the plant last year were adequately reviewed, according to the report."
Many, many people are calling the toll free number to get the info on what to do about returning the recalled products, and they are being given different information by different people. There is no FAQ section on the website to clear up the confusion, and there are no clear instructions on the form itself.
Please answer the following questions or forward this e-mail to the person that can answer them:
1. Do you have to send back the products themselves?
2. If you don't have to send back the products, do you have to cut out and send in each UPC code?
3. Do you have to fill out a separate form for each bottle of recalled product, or can you include the information for more than one per form?
4. If you have many bottles of the products, can you attach a spreadsheet or document to one original form listing all the required information for each bottle on the spreadsheet or document? It would save a lot on postage.
5. What is Novartis' advice on disposing all the recalled (and possibly dangerous) medicine?
6. Will a refund be given for a product that is beyond the expiration date?
7. If you have a partially used bottle with no box, how do you get a refund on that?
8. Do you have a listing of the amount of the refund for each product?
Thank you for your assistance. I will post your answers in a public forum.
Of course I will post their response here.
I had 22 bottles of varying products and they took all the info over the phone--UPC #, Lot #, expiration date and number of pills in bottle. They are then mailing me the sheets so I do not have to print. Each and every bottle needs its own form. Complete package needs to be mailed back with one exception--already opened bottles only require the bottle and contents, but the form for it must be filled out. If no UPC# you must indicate that the product is opened and no UPC on label.
I will, of course, log everything before it is mailed keeping a copy for myself.
a real PITA.
What if we open bottles and throw away the boxes. Toss out several pills and mail them. The weight will be lower. And who would know that they were full bottles in the first place. It may save postage. What do you think?
I am enjoying the conversation on this thread. It is nice we really have a collaboration and are not going easily cowtown to them.
I am enjoying the conversation on this thread. It is nice we really have a collaboration and are not going easily cowtown to them.
As for lightening the weight of the bottles, unless you're sending back a gross of these things, a few pills isn't going to change the weight by more than an ounce or so ... Not really worth the time... It's the bottle/package weight that's the bigger concern.
I somehow can't see them opening up our boxes and going through them to find the occasional Percocet. But who knows, maybe it's something their lawyers are saying they have to do to avoid fines for losing track of the stuff.
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Not sure how well it would go if you were one of the people who have a huge stockpile of this item and showed up with bags and bags of them.
To Whom it may Concern:
Please visit www.novartisotc
Novartis Consumer Health, Inc.
600 Lasley Ave
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18706
Please fill one Novartis OTC product Return Form per product.
Thanks for nothing.
*snip*
Not sure how well it would go if you were one of the people who have a huge stockpile of this item and showed up with bags and bags of them.
Good for you. I have had times during the middle of the night where I take medicine or give medicine to someone in my family. We turn on as few lights as possible, so I could see us not looking closely enough at a pill to see it's different.
Did you have receipts? I am thinking that with what I have on hand, I will need to stop at about 10 - 15 stores!
At first it seemed weird to me that someone would take pills without looking at them, but then I realized, depending on the situation, it is entirely possible and that I had indeed done just that myself. Probably more times than I can remember because after thinking on it some more I also remembered a time in the movie theater, popping pills and not looking (Transformers! I am sure I'm not the only one, that movie was so LOUD). I am sure there must be other times I've done it too.
No we didn't have any receipts. I am sure there might be some around here somewhere and I have purchased many a bottle from Walmart but I didn't bother finding them. And I didn't need too, just fine without them.
The only one that didn't scan into Walmarts inventory was Excedrin Migraine 50 geltabs 0067-2035-50 10121825 exp Feb13.
Don't wait too long to get a response from Novartis or how much they pay out. by then, CVS may not take anymore returns if its weeks after the recall.
Frequently Asked Questions [facebook.com]
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Frequently Asked Questions [facebook.com]
Include UPC# from the product list and Lot # and expiration date off bottle.