A pharmaceutical company has issued a recall on some birth control pills due to errors in the packaging.

Florida-based Apotex Corp. issued a recall of four lots of pills, which are made by Oman Pharmaceutical Products Co.

The company says that the pills may be in the wrong order or may have an empty pocket. Health officials say that birth control pills could become less effective if a patient does not take a tablet because it is missing or takes a placebo instead of an active tablet.

The recalled products, all of which expire in August 2020 and come in 3 mg/0.03 mg doses, include:

NDC number Lot number
60505-418-3  7DY008A
60505-418-3  7DY009A
60505-418-3  7DY010A
60505-418-3  7DY011A

Recalled pills can be returned to the pharmacy.

Patients are encouraged to use non-hormonal methods of birth control for the time being, such as condoms or a diaphragm. They may also contact their doctor for advice.