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Shortage of Avalide, a Blood Pressure Medicine

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced a shortage of Avalide® after two recent recalls of this blood pressure medication.

What to Do

Members: If you take Avalide and are having trouble obtaining your medication, please contact your doctor to see if you can switch to another blood pressure therapy.

Prescribers: Avalide contains a combination of irbesartan (Avapro®) and hydrochlorothiazide, both of which are available and can be prescribed together as an alternative to Avalide.

About the Recall

In September 2010, Bristol-Myers Squibb recalled 60 million tablets of Avalide that were manufactured before 2009 in Puerto Rico and were sold in the US and Puerto Rico.

The company made a second recall of 64 million tablets in January 2011. This recall affects 150/12.5 milligram (mg), 300/12.5 mg and 300/25 mg tablets of Avalide sold in the US, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and Argentina.

Both recalls were taken as a precaution after the discovery that one of the active ingredients, irbesartan, dissolved at a slower rate than usual in certain batches. This could lower the amount of irbesartan released from the tablet and decrease its strength. While the manufacturer stated they do not have any evidence that the medication has reduced strength, they proceeded with the recall because of an inability to rule out this possibility.

For More Information
See the pop-up alert on the Avapro-Avalide Web site or the list of current drug shortages on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Web site.