Stericycle ExpertSolutions on Tuesday released its report on U.S. product recalls for the third quarter of 2017.
Here are 10 findings from the Q3 2017 Recall Index report.
Drugs
1. The pharmaceutical industry saw 89 recalls in the third quarter of 2017, marking a 3 percent increase from the previous quarter and the highest level since the fourth quarter of 2014.
2. Failed specifications represented the top cause for recalls for the fifth quarter in a row, accounting for 24.7 percent of recalls in the third quarter of 2017. Sterility issues and mislabeling tied as the second most common cause of recalled units, each accounting for 15.7 percent of all recalls in the third quarter.
3. Seventy companies recalled a drug product in the third quarter, representing a 98.9 percent decrease from the second quarter of this year.
4. Companies recalled 126,838 Class I units in the third quarter — a 98.9 percent drop from the previous quarter.
5. Seventy-nine percent of drug recalls were nationwide.
Medical Devices
6. The medical device industry experienced 167 recalls in the third quarter of 2017, representing a 39 percent decrease from the previous quarter and the lowest figure since the fourth quarter of 2011.
7. Recalled units increased 1 percent from the previous quarter to 68 million in the third quarter of 2017. About 89 percent of units were recalled due to sterility issues.
8. Software issues (24.6 percent) represented the top cause for recalls, followed by quality issues (17.4 percent) and mislabeling issues (14.4 percent).
9. The average recall size was 407,256 units — the highest figure since the second quarter of 2012.
10. Fifty-six percent of device recalls were nationwide.
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