Gas-X, Excedrin among Novartis recalls

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis is recalling four different medicines in the US over fears they may contain stray pills from other medicines, or have broken or chipped tablets inside.

Bottles of the headache medicine Excedrin and caffeine pills NoDoz with expiration dates of Dec. 20, 2014, or earlier are part of the voluntarily recall, which also includes pain medication Bufferin and gas relief capsules Gas-X Prevention with expiration dates of Dec. 20, 2013 or earlier, Novartis said Sunday.

Though Novartis launched the recall as a precautionary measure, it advised consumers who have purchased the medicines in question to stop taking them and return the products for a full refund.

The Novartis plant in Lincoln, Neb., where the products were manufactured has "voluntarily suspended operations and shipments to accelerate maintenance and other improvement activities at the site," the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

"Mixing of different products in the same bottle could result in consumers taking the incorrect product and receiving a higher or lower strength than intended or receiving an unintended ingredient," the FDA warned. "This could potentially result in overdose, interaction with other medications a consumer may be taking, or an allergic reaction if the consumer is allergic to the unintended ingredient."

Novartis said it was "not aware of adverse events reported with the issues leading to the recall."

LINK: Find more information on the recalls