Stericycle ExpertSOLUTIONS recently released its report on U.S. product recalls for the third quarter of this year.
Here are 10 findings from the Q3 2016 Recall Index report.
Drugs
1. The pharmaceutical industry saw 65 recalls in the third quarter of this year, marking a 20 percent decline from the previous quarter, according to the report. However, the number of recalls in the third quarter still surpasses the amount seen in the first quarter of 2016 and the average quarter in 2015.
2. The average recall size gradually increased throughout 2016, reaching almost 132,500 units in the third quarter — the highest figure seen since the third quarter of 2015, according to the report.
3. Class III drugs, which have a lower risk of dependence than Class I or II drugs, accounted for 57 percent of all recalled units in the third quarter of this year, compared to the second quarter of this year when Class II drugs made up the largest percentage of recalls.
4. Ten drug companies experienced more than one recall in the third quarter of this year, a decrease from the previous quarter.
5. Eighty-two percent of all drug recalls occurred nationwide in the third quarter of this year.
Medical Devices:
1. Medical device recalls rose 29 percent from the second quarter of this year to 339 in the following quarter, hitting the highest recall level since 2000, according to the report. The number of recalled units jumped 187 percent to almost 116 million from the second quarter of this year to the third quarter.
2. About 59 percent of devices were recalled in the third quarter of this year over quality issues.
3. Software and mislabeling accounted for 48.1 percent of device recalls in the third quarter of this year.
4. About 47 percent of recalls were international in the third quarter of this year, representing the lowest level for any quarter in the last four years.
5. Fifty companies recalled more than one product in Q3, representing the highest amount since the first quarter of 2014.
To view the full report, click here.
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