Maharashtra's Food and Drug Administration officials have expressed dismay after the agency’s efforts to pull back an injection from the market elicited a poor response, stressing that it was time to change the system of recalling drugs. Six days ago, the FDA ordered that Orofer FCM (ferric carboxymaltose 500 mg/10 ml), given to patients to increase haemoglobin, be recalled following a death due to a suspected adverse drug reaction.

So far, only 4 per cent of the 11,000 vials in the state have come back to the FDA.