More than 1.78 million tablets of an antipsychotic medication have been recalled due to cross-contamination of pharmaceutical ingredients during the manufacturing process, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Tuesday.
A batch of 5mg Otsuka Abilify (aripiprazole) tablets, or more than 1.43 million doses, and two batches of Otsuka Ability (aripiprazole) 30mg tablets, or about 354,410 doses, have been recalled, the FDA said.
The medication is used to treat several mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorder and Tourette’s syndrome.
Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
On April 25, routine monitoring of international alerts showed that the US Food and Drug Administration issued a recall for the two dosage forms of Otsuka Ability (aripiprazole) due to cross-contamination from extremely small amounts of an active pharmaceutical ingredient during the manufacturing process, FDA Deputy Director-General Wang Te-yuan (王德原) said.
Insufficient cleaning of equipment at the production site was the likely cause, Wang said.
The two forms of the medication are widely used in Taiwan.
More than 7.59 million 5mg tablets were used in Taiwan in 2022, while NHI reimbursement applications tallied about 238,000 30mg tablets, a National Health Insurance Administration report said last year.
Aripiprazole is an active ingredient used to treat schizophrenia in adults and adolescents, and for bipolar disorder in children aged 10 to 17, the FDA said.
It is also used to treat irritability associated with autistic disorder in pediatric patients aged six to 17, it said.
Separately, the FDA said that fresh strawberries from Japan would remain subject to batch-by-batch border inspections after a new shipment was found to contain a pesticide that is banned in Taiwan.
The shipment of 24kg of strawberries from Momofuku Shoji Co would either be returned to the country of origin or destroyed, it said.
Sample testing on April 17 found that the strawberries contained 0.04 parts per million of acrinathrin, a synthetic pyrethroid that has a high insecticidal activity against a range of insects, including mites.
Acrinathrin is a banned pesticide that cannot be used on strawberries in Taiwan, FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said.
Of the 812 batches of Japanese strawberries inspected from Oct. 29 last year to April 29, 32 failed to meet Taiwan’s safety standards, mostly because they were found to have excessive levels of pesticide residue, Lin said.
Since June 1 last year, fresh strawberries from Japan have been subject to 100 percent checks at the border, a measure that was supposed to be lifted at the end of last month, Lin said.
However, because shipments of strawberries continue to fail safety inspections, every shipment of imported Japanese strawberries would be inspected until Dec. 31, he said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or