Responding to a Medication Recall — Practice Checklist

Step-by-Step Procedure (7 steps)

1. 1.

   Review the recall notice (from the manufacturer, wholesaler, or FDA) for the exact drug, strength, NDC, and affected lot number(s) — recalls are almost always lot-specific, not a blanket pull of the entire drug/strength.

2. 2.

   Search pharmacy stock and check every bottle's lot number against the recall notice — don't rely on the drug/strength match alone.

3. 3.

   Pull any matching lot from active stock immediately and quarantine it separately from dispensable inventory.

4. 4.

   Check dispensing records to identify any patients who may have already received product from the affected lot.

5. 5.

   Follow your pharmacy's SOP for patient notification if affected product was already dispensed — this is typically a pharmacist-led step, with the technician supporting by pulling the patient list.

6. 6.

   Document the recall response (what was pulled, when, and any patient notifications made) per your pharmacy's record-keeping requirements.

7. 7.

   Process the return or destruction of the recalled product per the manufacturer's or wholesaler's return instructions.

Quality Checkpoints (4)

Confirm each of these before considering the task complete.

• Lot numbers are checked individually against the recall notice — not assumed from drug/strength alone.

• Affected stock is quarantined, not simply set aside where it could be accidentally re-shelved.

• Dispensing records are checked for any patients who already received the affected lot.

• The recall response is documented, including what was done and when.

Avoid These Mistakes

• ⚠

  Pulling every bottle of a drug/strength from the shelf instead of checking lot numbers — this discards good stock unnecessarily and can also mean a non-matching lot gets mistakenly treated as cleared.

• ⚠

  Forgetting to cross-check dispensing history, missing that product from the affected lot already went out to a patient.

• ⚠

  Not quarantining pulled stock clearly, risking it being accidentally returned to dispensable inventory later.