got this from Bayer... Just what someone with MS needs... a "life-threatening" infection
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Wayne, NJ, January 8, 2011 — Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals has become aware of a broad United States market recall of alcohol prep pads, swabs and swabsticks manufactured by the Triad Group and marketed under various brand names. In the interest of patient safety, Bayer wants to ensure that U.S. patients and physicians using Bayer's Betaseron are aware of the Triad recall.

The recall of the Triad Group alcohol prep products is due to potential contamination of these products with the bacteria, Bacillus cereus, that could lead to life-threatening infections.

Triad alcohol prep pads packaged for use in the U.S. with Betaseron should not be used by patients. There is NO involvement or potential contamination of the Betaseron vial or other components in the Betaseron U.S. packaging. This issue is confined to the actual Triad alcohol prep products. Triad alcohol prep products are not used in Betaseron packaging outside of the United States.

Bayer instructs patients using Betaseron to immediately discontinue using the Triad alcohol prep pads included in the Betaseron packaging and dispose of those pads in the trash. When preparing to take their Betaseron injection, patients should use an alternative alcohol prep pad that is not subject to this Triad recall or use a sterile gauze pad in conjunction with isopropyl alcohol.

Bayer is currently in the process of gathering additional information from both Triad and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In the interim, Bayer has halted shipments of Betaseron to its distribution network, until it can affect a replacement for the alcohol prep pad. Bayer has posted this important information on its websites.

Further information on this Triad recall can be found on the FDA website at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/
SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm239319.htm. If you have additional questions, please consult with your pharmacist or healthcare provider or contact BETAPLUS at 1-800-788-1467 option 1 to speak to a BETA Nurse. Or call Bayer at 1-888-84-BAYER, where operators will be available 24 hours a day to respond to questions from consumers or medical professionals. Members of the media should call Rosemarie Yancosek at 973/305-5213 or Rose Talarico at 973/305-5302.
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Glad I have some boxes of alcohol preps from when they use to send boxes with the beta.

I heard it's the same with Copaxone. Shared Solutions is warning their consumers, as well, to Not use the Triad pads in their kit.

I'm extremely curious as to how this contamination happened???

This is still US only pads with Copaxone?

I heard it also, and got an email from Shared Solutions. I went and bought different pads from the drug store. Can't trust anything anymore...

Vi and I were talking about it, and how horrible must a bacteria be that it can reside in the same envelope as the alcohol pad and LIVE? Sheesh! I wouldnt want to arm wrestle it.

here is a link


http://www.nationalmssociety.org/new....aspx?nid=4426

Yes, as far as I know, Laura.

Yeah, my question exactly when I first got the email from Bayer/Betaseron. I never use both pads in my kits, but use the 2nd one for other cleaning needs around the house... like wiping down my keyboards, cleaning thermometers! I threw everything out and bought a bottle of alcohol and a bag of fresh cotton balls.

Also all alcohol wipes, pads and swabs have expiration dates on them, so if you buy new ones with a different brand name, or have old ones at home, check the expiration date.

If they are expired they will not help. I wonder what the labs use now when they take you blood? They always use alcohol wipes. I have to check my blood tomorrow. I'll bring my own I think, to be sure.

I found with Beta and Copaxone that frequently I would open my alcohol pad only to find it dry. How does that happen? Who is so lazy about those little pads that they end up in this shape?