Costco Issues Recall for Cold & Flu Medicine Due to Worrying Contamination in Caplets
Find out if your box of Kirkland brand medication is in the recalled batch and how to get a refund
Keeping cold and flu medicine on hand is common for many households this time of year. Having it stocked means someone can ease symptoms in a flash should they get sick. But one medication that was sold at Costco may do more harm than good if you have it tucked away in your medicine cabinet. Keep reading to find out more about the Costco cold and flu medicine recall, plus what to do if you have a box in your house.
What is the Costco cold and flu medicine recall?
Costco, a members-only warehouse chain, recently issued a recall for cold medicine sold at its stores. The advisory was issued on January 2 for Kirkland Signature’s “Severe Cold and Flu Plus Congestion” medication.
The reason for the recall: “potential foreign material contamination.” However, no further information was provided about what that could be.
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The information printed on the box shows that the packages contain 112 day and 56 night caplets. The daytime caplets are supposed to contain four active ingredients (acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, guaifenesin, phenylephrine) to tackle symptoms like pain, fever, cough and congestion. The nighttime version, on the other hand, swaps out the guaifenesin for doxylamine succinate. (Find out why the FDA says phenylephrine doesn’t work).
What to do if you bought the recalled product
If you stocked up on cold and flu medicine at Costco in the fall, you may have one of the recalled products in your medicine cabinet as all the boxes of medication were sold between October 30 and November 30.
Not sure when you purchased yours? Check the box! Affected packages are marked with the lot code P140082. This can generally be found near the expiration date.
Whether you have used some of the medication or the box remains unopened, Costco has warned customers not to use any remaining product. Instead, the item should be returned to your local Costco store for a full refund.
The company behind the Costco cold and flu medicine recall
Although sold under the Kirkland brand, the medication was manufactured by a private company called LNK International, which was behind the voluntary recall. Consumers are encouraged to contact the company with any concerns or questions.
USA Today reports that LNK “produces solid and liquid dose, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals for private label programs.”
In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to the company regarding violations during the manufacturing process. One of these appeared to be related to quality control. It was stated that LNK failed to establish laboratory controls “to assure that components, drug product containers, closures, in-process materials, labeling, and drug products conform to appropriate standards of identity, strength, quality, and purity.”
Other Costco recalls
This isn’t the only recall impacting Costco customers who like to shop for Kirkland products. The brand was introduced to the chain in 1995 “after recognizing a need for better quality goods at a lower price,” but lately it’s been in the news for a negative reason: dangerous food items.
In November 2024, Costco brand eggs were recalled due to potential salmonella contamination. Handsome Brook Farms stated that the eggs were not meant to be sold for retail, but they still ended up at Costco locations in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
Since then, the FDA upgraded the recall to Class I (the most severe) due to “a reasonable probability that the use of the product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”
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