For the second time in the last four months, pharmaceutical Bristol-Myers Squibb is announcing a major recall of its Avalide blood pressure tablets distributed on the U.S. mainland and Puerto Rico.
On Thursday, the company announced it will be collecting 64 million tablets due to the potential for reduced effectiveness, Reuters reported. The medication was produced at Bristol’s plants in Humacao and Evansville, Indiana.
Bristol-Myers said the action was a “precautionary measure.
In September, the pharmaceutical — which jointly markets the drug with Sanofi-Aventis — recalled 62 lots, or 60 million tablets, of the drug manufactured in Puerto Rico.
Avalide, sold under the brand name Avapro, is one of Bristol-Myers’ blockbuster products, with $1.3 billion in sales in 2009.
Business reporter with 30 years of experience writing for weekly and daily newspapers, as well as trade publications in Puerto Rico. My list of former employers includes Caribbean Business, The San Juan Star, and the Puerto Rico Daily Sun, among others. My areas of expertise include telecommunications, technology, retail, agriculture, tourism, banking and most other segments of Puerto Rico’s economy.
“This project not only represents a significant investment in our island’s tourism infrastructure, but also symbolizes Puerto Rico’s ability to attract and execute large-scale projects.
The Investment Portfolio Program, with a budget of $800 million, plays a crucial role in offering loans with favorable terms for the development of projects that have the potential to transform the Puerto Rican economy.”
— Puerto Rico Housing Secretary William Rodríguez regarding the construction of a $77 million dual-branded hotel project in San Juan’s Convention Center District, featuring Hilton’s Hampton and Homewood Suites.
The project by PRISA Group includes a 400-vehicle parking structure and a 175,000-square-foot hotel tower, financed by Banco Popular and a $10 million federal disaster recovery loan from the Economic Development Investment Portfolio Program managed by the Department of Housing.