NEW YORK -- Merck is recalling 276,000 bottles of a chemotherapy drug because the child-proof caps on the pill bottles may be cracked.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said it doesn't know of any children who have been injured, but it's advising consumers to inspect the bottle cap for cracks and contact Merck & Co. for a replacement cap if one is needed. The agency also says the bottles should be stored up high, where children can't see or reach them.
Merck says it thinks the problem affects about 1,100 bottles out of the 276,000 total. The CPSC says the cracks occurred during the manufacturing process.
The recall covers bottles of the drug that were sold between July 2013 and August 2015. The problem affects bottles containing the drug under its brand name, Temodar, and its generic name, temozolomide. The CPSC says the drug comes in five- and 14-count glass bottles with white child resistant caps.
The generic version of the drug is made and packaged by Merck but is sold by Sandoz, a unit of Novartis AG.
Temodar is used to treat glioblastoma multiforme and anaplastic astrocytoma, two types of brain cancer.
