Crescent Pharma Limited has recalled a batch of its 2.5mg ramipril capsules after some cartons were found to contain blister strips of the higher 10mg dose. The company is treating the ramipril recall as a precautionary class 2 action, but the packaging mistake creates a clear risk that patients prescribed the lower strength could receive a much stronger medicine than intended.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said the latest action followed two blister strips of ramipril 10mg capsules being found by a healthcare professional inside a sealed carton of Crescent Pharma 2.5mg capsules. Both batches were made at the same site, and the regulator said the error appears to have happened during packaging. For pharmacists and prescribers, that means the problem is not theoretical. It is already in the supply chain, and the instruction is immediate: stop supplying the batch, quarantine remaining stock and return it to the supplier using approved processes.
That urgency is why Olivier Picard, who said one pharmacist spent eight hours quarantining stock in relation to another ramipril recall, is already seeing the practical cost of the repeated failures. “Significant recalls can be quite costly and extremely time-consuming for pharmacists,” he said, adding that manufacturers should face penalties for the problems they cause. The latest case is the third Crescent Pharma product recall in three months and follows ramipril 10mg capsules recalled on 20 April and 5mg capsules recalled on 6 March, both for packaging errors.
The central risk is unintentional overdosing. Patients supposed to be taking 2.5mg could instead be exposed to 10mg, and Dr Alison Cave said any possible impact should be assessed by a healthcare professional to determine whether examination or tests are needed. She said symptoms may include lightheadedness, fainting, fatigue and altered kidney function, and that the effects may be more serious for vulnerable patients. Ramipril is used for high blood pressure, kidney disease and heart failure, so a packaging error at the wrong strength can turn an ordinary pharmacy dispensing check into a patient safety issue.
What makes this recall harder to dismiss is that it sits on top of two earlier ramipril packaging failures in the space of three months. That pattern leaves pharmacies doing the work of containment while the unanswered question is how many cartons are affected. For now, the answer for anyone handling the stock is simple: do not dispense it, isolate it and send it back.
