---
title: "Amgen Recalls More Than 900,000 Bottles of a Heart-Failure Drug"
description: "The drugmaker Amgen has recalled more than 900,000 bottles of two prescription medications nationwide — including Corlanor, used to treat chronic heart failure — after an unexpected foreign material was found in a sample, though the company says the risk to patients is low and is not telling people to stop taking the drugs."
category: "U.S."
category_url: https://herald.la/category/us
author: "Lucía Fuentes"
published: 2026-06-30T15:48:00.000Z
updated: 2026-06-30T15:48:00.000Z
canonical: https://herald.la/article/amgen-recalls-more-than-900-000-bottles-of-a-heart-failure-drug
tags: ["drug recall", "FDA", "Amgen", "Corlanor", "heart failure", "medication safety", "health"]
---
# Amgen Recalls More Than 900,000 Bottles of a Heart-Failure Drug

The drugmaker Amgen has recalled more than 900,000 bottles of two prescription medications nationwide — including Corlanor, used to treat chronic heart failure — after an unexpected foreign material was found in a sample, though the company says the risk to patients is low and is not telling people to stop taking the drugs.

A nationwide recall of a common heart-failure medication is the kind of news that can frighten patients — so the first thing to know is what doctors stress: do not stop taking your heart medicine without talking to your physician.

## What was recalled

Amgen, the California-based drugmaker, is recalling multiple lots of two drugs: Corlanor (ivabradine), prescribed to lower the risk of hospitalization in adults with stable chronic heart failure, and Sensipar (cinacalcet), used for some patients with chronic kidney disease, [The Hill reported](https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5947443-corlanor-ivabradine-heart-failure-medication-recall/). The affected products were distributed across the United States over several years, and the recall covers more than 900,000 bottles in total.

## Why

Amgen began the recall in early June after finding what regulators described as "an unexpected foreign matter" in a reserve sample from one production lot, and pulled all in-date lots that had passed through the same packaging area as a precaution. Neither Amgen nor the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has publicly identified what the foreign material was. The FDA classified the action as a [Class II recall](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-recalls) — a category for products that may cause temporary or reversible health effects, or where the risk of serious harm is considered remote. Amgen has said the patient-safety risk is low and that it has received no related complaints.

## What patients should do

Crucially, neither the company nor the FDA has told patients to stop taking the medications — and stopping a heart-failure drug abruptly can be dangerous. If you take Corlanor or Sensipar:

- **Do not stop your medication** without first speaking to your cardiologist or prescribing doctor.
- **Check the lot number** on your bottle against the full list of recalled lots posted on the [FDA's drug-recall page](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-recalls). Your pharmacist can help you confirm whether your bottle is affected.
- If your bottle is on the list, ask your pharmacy about a replacement.

Patients with questions can also call the FDA at 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332).

## About the drug

Corlanor (ivabradine) treats stable chronic heart failure by gently slowing the heart's natural pacemaker rhythm, lowering heart rate without reducing blood pressure — a different mechanism from common beta-blockers. Because it is taken on an ongoing basis by patients with serious heart conditions, specialists emphasize continuity of care: the safe response to a recall like this one is to verify your specific bottle and consult your doctor or pharmacist, not to interrupt treatment on your own.

## Sources

- [Medication used to treat heart failure recalled nationwide](https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5947443-corlanor-ivabradine-heart-failure-medication-recall/)
- [FDA drug recalls](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-recalls)