New Lipitor Recall Due to Musty Smell
38,000 More Lipitor Bottles Recalled
By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Oct. 29, 2010 – Pfizer has recalled another 38,000 bottles of Lipitor due to a musty smell in bottles provided by a third-party manufacturer.

The smell is believed to come from a chemical called TBA used to treat pallets on which the bottles were stored. It's the same chemical that gives "corked" wine a tainted odor.

Pfizer is not the only drug company affected by musty packaging. TBA in storage pallets is blamed for recent recalls of Johnson & Johnson's Tylenol.

"We have identified the source of the odor, and we are enacting rigorous measures to prevent odor-related issues going forward," Pfizer said in a news release. "The lots that will be recalled were packaged and shipped before these changes went into effect in August of this year."

The recall affects two lots of Lipitor 40-milligram tablets. No injuries or illnesses have been reported, and the recall has not resulted in any shortage of Lipitor.