The pills have been sold under store brands by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), CVS Corp. (CVS), Safeway Inc. (SWY) and more than 120 other major retailers, according to the Food and Drug Adminstration. One chain so far has begun to pull the pills from the shelves.
No injuries or illnesses have been reported yet. The metal fragments range in size from "microdots" to portions of wire one-third of an inch long. No other description of the metal was available.
The metal bits were discovered by Perrigo during quality-control checks done after the company discovered its equipment was wearing down prematurely. The search found about 200 pills of the 70 million it passed through a metal detector.
Consumers could suffer minor stomach discomfort or possible cuts to the mouth or throat. The FDA added that risk of serious injury was remote.
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