Abbott recalls antacid Digene Gel made in Goa after consumer complaints

Abbott India has voluntarily recalled all batches of its popular antacid Digene Gel after customers complained about the product’s taste and odour. The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has issued an advisory cautioning against the use of the antacid produced at the company’s Goa facility.

The recall came in response to a complaint received on August 9. It was reported that one bottle of Digene Gel in mint flavour tasted sweet and had a light pink colour. Another bottle from the same batch was discovered to be white in colour with a bitter taste and a pungent odour, according to the complaint.

The affected batches include Digene Gel Mint and Digene Gel Orange. These batches were all manufactured in Goa and have an expiration date of August 2024. Abbott took the step of ceasing production of all variants of Digene Gel manufactured at their Goa facility.

“Abbott in India has voluntarily recalled Digene Gel antacid medicine manufactured at our Goa site, due to isolated customer complaints on taste and odour. There have been no reports of patient health concerns. Other forms of Digene, such as tablets and stick packs are not impacted and Digene Gel manufactured at our other production site is not affected and continues to be available in sufficient quantities to meet current demand.” a spokesperson for Abbott told Business Standard.

The DCGI issued an advisory to doctors, healthcare professionals, consumers, and wholesalers and distributors of Digene Gel. The advisory said that the affected batches of the product may be unsafe and that their use may result in adverse reactions. The advisory also advised doctors and healthcare professionals to carefully prescribe Digene Gel and to educate their patients about the recall.

The DCGI has advised consumers and patients to discontinue the use of Digene Gel manufactured in Goa. Wholesalers and distributors should remove the affected batches of the product from the market, it said.