Thousands of boxes of popular cold and flu remedies recalled

An off-brand version of Dayquil and Nyquil has been recalled due to substandard quality.

Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recalled 8,640 boxes of Kirkland Signature Severe Cold and Flu Congestion, a product sold at Costco.

One of the main ingredients in the Kirkland product is oral phenylephrine, which is facing an FDA ban due to ineffectiveness.

Last year, an external panel of experts voted unanimously against the effectiveness of orally administered phenylephrine as a nasal decongestant, adding that no more evidence was required to prove otherwise.

However, the recall is not related to phenylephrine, but rather to quality control issues.

The Kirkland brand of cold and flu capsules, sold nationwide at Costco stores, is packaged as follows: Compare Vicks Dayquil & Nyquil Vapocool for Severe Colds & Flu Blocking.

The potion is a 168-count duo pack that pairs 112 day-wear hats and 56 night-wear hats. The box is designed to emphasize the dual function, while the color scheme calls out the Nyquil and Dayquil packaging, with orange representing daytime use and blue, evening. The words Severe cold and flu appear in white letters at the top of the box.

The bundle retails for $15.99.

According to the FDA, the drug was recalled due to “CGMP deviations,” meaning the product was not made to the standard of quality control regulations known as Current Good Manufacturing Practices.

The report notes that the product “should have been rejected,” but does not reveal which specific quality measures it failed to meet.

According to the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the daytime medications featured in the Kirkland product are formulated to reduce pain and fever, suppress cough, lubricate the airways, and promote decongestion. Evening capsules include added antihistamines to treat throat and nasal symptoms and promote sleepiness.

The label contains several identifying pieces of information to help you tell if you have purchased compromised cold medicine:

• National Drug Code/NDC Number: 63981-795-81
• Lot numbers: P139953 OR P139815
• Expiration date: August 2026

The recall was defined as Class II, meaning that the FDA considered it a situation in which “use or exposure to an offending product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious harmful consequences health is remote”.

The agency is urging consumers who purchased the compromised capsules to stop taking them and either throw them away or return them to Costco.

And it’s not just Costco Pharmacy that’s taking a hit; Last week, customers of the bakery took to the internet to express their anger at a 58% increase in the cost of the fan-favorite muffins.

There was no word on whether this angry, shopping-cart Costco customer was responding to muffin prices, low cold medicine or the news that Costco plans to stop selling books in most of its US stores at the start of the year.