Defect Prompts Recall of 2 Million Needles

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Two million Exel/Exelint Huber needles are being recalled because there's a risk they can push pieces of silicone into patients' bodies, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The needles are used to access injection ports implanted beneath the skin of patients with chronic diseases who require frequent injections, the Associated Press reported.

The voluntary recall by Miami-based Nipro Medical Corp. includes needles made between January 2007 and August 2009.

An FDA inspection of Nipro's manufacturing plant found that 60 to 72 percent of the needles have a design problem that can cause the needle to dislodge bits of silicone from the injection ports and possibly push the pieces into a patient's bloodstream, the AP reported.