PlainMeds research, FDA and CMS files of October 8, 2026
Why medicines were recalled, 2024 to 2026
1259 FDA drug recall entries since January 2024 name a medicine on this site; the most common reason is contamination or sterility (394).
What the data shows
| Reason group | Recall entries | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Contamination or sterility | 394 | 31.3 |
| Impurity (nitrosamine and others) | 261 | 20.7 |
| Manufacturing practice (CGMP) | 166 | 13.2 |
| Strength or dissolution | 224 | 17.8 |
| Labeling or packaging | 83 | 6.6 |
| Other | 131 | 10.4 |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report via openFDA, read October 8, 2026
How it was measured
FDA Enforcement Report entries (openFDA drug/enforcement) initiated since 2024-01-01 and joined to a medicine; each entry's reason is put in the first matching group of a fixed keyword list, shown here.
What it cannot show
A recall entry covers specific products and lots; one event can create several entries. The keyword groups are coarse and an entry counts once.