An incorrect labeling by a third-party manufacturer forced Pfizer’s Greenstone LLC subsidiary to announce the voluntary recall two drugs – depression drug Citalopram; and benign prostatic hyperplasia drug Finasteride - in the US on Saturday!

The recall resulted from an inadvertent ‘label switch’ which affected the two generic formulations - the antidepressant drug and the one used for shrinking the prostate.

In a Saturday statement, Greenstone clarified that some bottles of Citalopram had been labeled erroneously as Finasteride, and vice versa. Though the company has advised patients to return any suspect bottles to their pharmacist, a Pfizer spokesman has clarified that there have, thus far, been no injuries or illnesses tied to the recall.

Greenstone further elaborated that the recall largely stemmed from “the possibility that incorrect labels have been placed on the bottles by a third-party manufacturer.” Noting that only one lot of the drugs was affected by the ‘label switch’, the company said: “Bottles labeled as Citalopram Lot # FI0510058-A may contain Finasteride.”

Greenstone also specified that the mentioned lot number involves 10-mg Citalopram tablets in 100-count bottles and 5-mg Finasteride tablets in 90-count bottles; and added that wrong medications can put patients – especially pregnant women - at risk for serious adverse effects!