Drugmaker Ranbaxy halts generic Lipitor production

(AP) Drugmaker Ranbaxy halts generic Lipitor production
By The Associated Press
Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals Inc. has halted production of generic cholesterol drug Lipitor while it investigates how tiny glass particles got into dozens of batches of the drug that were recalled in November.

The Food and Drug Administration says Ranbaxy won’t resume manufacturing generic Lipitor, or atorvastatin, until it determines the problem’s cause and fixes it.

The problem-plagued drugmaker, a subsidiary of India’s Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., since last December has been operating under increased FDA scrutiny because of quality lapses at multiple factories over several years.

The recall covered 41 batches of 10-, 20- and 40-milligram doses of atorvastatin tablets.

A Ranbaxy spokesman did not immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press Friday.

Several other companies also make generic versions of Lipitor, which was the world’s top-selling drug for years.