Off the shelf, but not back from patients: acting on a pharmacy level Class 3 recall

Why this matters

Most recall training focuses on the stock: find it, quarantine it, send it back. That part is usually straightforward. The harder part often comes a few days later, when someone at the counter says they have heard a medicine has been recalled and they have a box of it at home.

A recall published by the MHRA on 5 October 2026 is a useful worked example. Stock is being taken back from pharmacies and wholesalers, but patients are not being asked to return anything. The team needs to be clear about both halves of that message.

What the recall says

• It is a Class 3 Medicines Recall, reference EL(26)A/41, issued by the MHRA.
• It covers MOVICOL Plain 13.7g powder for oral solution, a macrogol laxative supplied in sachets, in packs of 30.
• Two batches are affected: 487069 (expiry 28 February 2029) and 474919 (expiry 31 August 2028). The first was distributed from June 2026 and the second from November 2025, so affected packs could have been on your shelves for some time.
• The manufacturer is recalling these batches as a precaution because some sachets contain the wrong amounts of the active ingredients.
• The recall is at retail and wholesaler level. Pharmacies and dispensing practices are asked to stop supplying the affected batches immediately, quarantine any remaining stock and return it to their supplier.
• Patients are not asked to do anything. The notice says people who already have a pack from these batches can carry on taking it.

Only these two batches of this one product are listed. Work from the batch numbers in the notice, not from the product name alone.

Where Class 3 sits

The MHRA describes a Class 3 recall as one where the defect is unlikely to harm patients and the recall is being carried out for other reasons, such as the product not meeting its specification. The general timescale for Class 3 is action within 5 days. Always follow the individual notice as well: this one says to stop supplying immediately.

What the dispensing team does

1. Read the whole notice and tell the pharmacist.
2. Check every place this product could be: dispensary shelves, any stock kept for over the counter sale, split packs, bagged prescriptions waiting for collection, delivery bags, owings and stock rooms.
3. Compare the batch number on each pack with the two listed. Check the box, and for split packs check the sachets.
4. Stop supplying affected packs straight away. Separate them, label them clearly as recalled and not for use, and keep them away from live stock.
5. Return them through your supplier's approved process. If packs came from more than one wholesaler, each may have its own process.
6. Re-dispense any bagged or owed items from unaffected stock, following your usual checking process.
7. Record what you did, including a nil return if you found none, following your pharmacy's procedure for alerts.

When a patient asks about a pack at home

This is where a pharmacy level recall can go wrong. A well meaning team member may tell a patient to stop taking the medicine or to bring it back, which is not what the notice says. Another may brush the question off, which leaves the patient worried.

Keep it calm and factual. The message in the notice is that the recall is a precaution, it is being carried out at pharmacy and wholesaler level, and patients do not need to take any action. People who have a pack from these batches can continue to take it.

Do not go further than that yourself. You are not expected to explain what the wrong amounts might mean for an individual, or to judge whether someone's symptoms are linked. If a patient or carer is still worried, wants to return or swap a pack, feels unwell or thinks the medicine is not working as usual, refer them to the pharmacist. The notice advises patients who have a reaction or have questions to seek medical advice, and suspected side effects can be reported through the Yellow Card scheme.

When to involve the pharmacist

• When the recall first arrives, and for any decision about how your pharmacy acts on it
• Any patient or carer who is worried, feels unwell or asks whether they should keep taking the medicine
• Any request to return, swap or refund a pack that has already been supplied
• If affected stock has been supplied since the recall was published
• If you cannot fill a prescription because your only stock is from an affected batch

PPets learning connection

Responding to safety alerts, stock management and governance are covered in the Level 3 Diploma for pharmacy technicians. Our guide to how medicines recalls work explains the recall classes and the record you should keep.

Record this as CPD

Registered pharmacy technicians can use this article towards GPhC revalidation, as an unplanned CPD entry or as the starting point for a reflective account. Pharmacy assistants and trainees can use it as evidence of reflective practice. Note down three things:

1. What you learned from this article
2. How you have applied it, or will apply it, in your own role
3. The benefit to the people who use your pharmacy's services

Sources and further reading

• MHRA Class 3 Medicines Recall EL(26)A/41: MOVICOL Plain 13.7g powder for oral solution (Open Government Licence v3.0)
• MHRA: safety communications concerning medicines, medical devices and other healthcare products (Open Government Licence v3.0)

Related from PPets

• Level 3 Diploma for pharmacy technicians
• Free resources

This article is for general educational purposes only. It is not legal advice, professional regulatory advice or clinical advice about an individual patient. Always follow your pharmacy's SOPs and check current official guidance and product information.

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