Baxter Round Lake: cephalosporin on the wrong side of the wall
FDA found cephalosporin, again and again, in the part of Baxter's Illinois plant that fills non-beta-lactam IV bags. Ten premixed injectables were already recalled in August.
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Products at risk. Who's in.
Recalledin the firm's recall notice
| MOLECULE | FORM | SOLD IN THE US BY | LINK TO SITE | RISK | WHO'S IN | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vancomycin | Premix IV bag (Galaxy), frozen | Baxter | RECALLED | RECALLED | 17 API (12 US DMF) · 38 FDF | See who's in |
| Clindamycin | Premix IV bag (Galaxy) | Baxter | RECALLED | RECALLED | 36 API (30 US DMF) · 34 FDF | See who's in |
| Daptomycin | Premix IV bag (Galaxy), frozen | Baxter | RECALLED | RECALLED | 13 API (7 US DMF) · 28 FDF | See who's in |
| Dexmedetomidine | Premix IV bag (Galaxy) | Baxter | RECALLED | RECALLED | 10 API (10 US DMF) · 38 FDF | See who's in |
| Pantoprazole | Premix IV bag (Galaxy), frozen | Baxter | RECALLED | RECALLED | 54 API (36 US DMF) · 35 FDF | See who's in |
| Amiodarone | Premix IV bag (Nexterone) | Baxter | RECALLED | RECALLED | 21 API (14 US DMF) · 19 FDF | See who's in |
| Nicardipine | Premix IV bag (Cardene IV) | Baxter, under Chiesi license | RECALLED | RECALLED | 13 API (13 US DMF) · 5 FDF | See who's in |
| Famotidine | Premix IV bag (Galaxy) | Baxter | RECALLED | RECALLED | 27 API (20 US DMF) · 5 FDF | See who's in |
| Vasopressin | Premix IV bag | Baxter | RECALLED | RECALLED | 3 API (2 US DMF) · 4 FDF | See who's in |
| Insulin human | Premix IV bag (Myxredlin) | Baxter | RECALLED | RECALLED | 2 API (2 US DMF) · 9 FDF | See who's in |
FDA often redacts product names in its letters. Rows marked "FDA label" come from openFDA drug labels that name this site. "Who's in" counts manufacturers of the same molecule in the API-FDF database; names and contacts are inside.
What FDA found
- Since January 2025 Baxter's own swabs kept finding cephalosporin on the non-beta-lactam side of the building, in several areas.
- Containment rested on a wall Baxter called fully sealed and on dedicated HVAC. FDA says the design has to rule out any crossover by air, people, materials or equipment.
- Finished batches were checked for beta-lactam with one unit per batch, whatever the batch size.
- Several failing cephalosporin samples were thrown away before anyone analyzed them.
- Data Baxter shared with FDA during recall talks showed more cephalosporin contamination events in the non-beta-lactam area.
Timeline
How it got here
JAN 2025
Environmental monitoring starts finding cephalosporin outside the beta-lactam area
23 MAR – 2 APR 2026
FDA inspection at Round Lake, Form 483
23 APR 2026
Baxter responds to the 483
6 AUG 2026
Urgent drug recall of premixed bags over possible beta-lactam contamination. Lots shipped since 3 Feb 2025
29 SEP 2026
Warning Letter
20 OCT 2026
FDA posts the letter