FDA investigating elevated levels of vitamin D in Hill's recallMarch 22, 2019The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is looking into the presence of elevated levels of vitamin D in Hill's Pet Nutrition canned dog food. The news comes after the pet food company issued an expanded recall on Wednesday for 85 total lots of 33 varieties (SKUs) of its canned dog foods after receiving complaints dogs eating the food were experiencing vitamin D toxicity. Currently, the recall is only for canned dog food and does not affect canned cat food, dry food (kibble), or treats. Hill's says the products in both recalls were made with the same vitamin premix. According to the FDA, the recall was expanded after it requested that Hill's test samples of food it had produced that were not part of the original recall. Hill's conducted that testing and issued the expanded recall of 19 additional products of canned dog food. In a letter sent to veterinarians, Hill's Pet Nutrition vice president and general manager, Jesper Nordengaard said, "We understand this recall has caused pet parents considerable anxiety and that the well-being of their pets may have been affected. We are also aware of the disruption and difficulty this has caused you and your …
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FDA releases new vet resource for prescribing opioidsAugust 23, 2018The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is launching a new resource guide for veterinarians prescribing opioids for pain management in animals. The issue has come to the fore due to the opioid crisis and the occurrence of people hurting their pets to gain access to the drugs. The FDA says it is committed to addressing the misuse and abuse of drugs on all fronts, with a significant focus on decreasing exposure to opioids and preventing new addiction by taking steps to encourage more appropriate prescribing, said FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, in an official statement. While any health care provider can take advantage of the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy program for opioid analgesics, there hasn't been a lot of information tailored specifically to veterinary medicine, he added. "That's why we have developed a new resource containing information and recommendations specifically for veterinarians who stock and administer opioids," Dr. Gottlieb said. "Today, we're issuing important information for veterinarians to ensure they have additional context regarding the potential for people to misuse the products they are prescribing to their animal patients." The issue of abuse stems from the lack of opioids specifically approved for use in animals, …
FDA warns against using possible nonsterile animal drug productsJuly 12, 2018The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting veterinarians and animal owners to not use animal drug products labeled as sterile produced and distributed by Ranier's Compounding Laboratory "due to a lack of sterility assurance." Jeannette, Pa.-based Ranier's also does business as Ranier's Pharmacy and Ranier's RX Laboratory. The FDA is urging veterinarians to check their inventory, quarantine any purportedly sterile drug products, and not administer them to patients. Administration of a nonsterile drug product intended to be sterile may result in serious and potentially life-threatening infections or death, according to the report. FDA issued a warning letter to Ranier's Compounding in March 2017 following an inspection. During FDA's recent follow-up inspection of Ranier's compounding facility, investigators observed insanitary conditions, including poor sterile production practices. On June 6, 2018, FDA recommended that Ranier's Compounding recall all unexpired human and animal drug products intended to be sterile and to cease sterile operations until it makes adequate corrections at its facility. On June 7, 2018, Ranier's Pharmacy informed FDA that it agreed to voluntarily recall and cease sterile operations. However, the company has failed to comply with its commitment, reported the FDA. To date, no …
