Research

Glutathione Injection Recall: Why People Got Sick

Creator: Nadia Okonjo, Health Writer
Published: 2026-09-23

More than 25 people fell ill after IV glutathione, and three Texas pharmacies have recalled vials. FDA traced the problem to one ingredient lot: glutathione powder labeled for supplements, not for a vein.

Nadia Okonjo, Health Writer September 23, 2026 6 min read

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The short version

Three Texas compounding pharmacies have recalled glutathione injections since August 5, 2026, after finding elevated endotoxin; FDA traced the illnesses to one ingredient lot labeled as dietary supplement grade.
CDC's investigation page, updated September 11, 2026, counts over 25 people sick in Texas, Washington, Florida and New York; at least 3 were hospitalized and 1 needed intensive care. FDA's August 27 notice counted at least 30 patients.
Endotoxin is bacterial debris, not a live germ: in a 2015 Sydney cluster, glutathione that grew no bacteria in testing still carried enough endotoxin to sicken seven people within two hours.
A prescription did not stop this outbreak, but it leaves a trail: the first two pharmacies contacted patients and prescribers by phone and mail because they knew who received each lot. An anonymous vial has no one to make that call.
A 2025 JAMA Internal Medicine study found glutathione in the drips of 137 of 255 IV spas reviewed, and only 24 of 87 spas visited by mystery shoppers required a consultation with a licensed professional first.
The recall is not a finding about every glutathione injection: FDA describes the reactions as consistent with too much endotoxin from a contaminated ingredient.

A glutathione injection recall now spans three Texas compounding pharmacies, and the reason is the same each time: the vials carried too much endotoxin, a toxic bit of bacterial debris. FDA traced the illnesses to one lot of glutathione powder labeled as dietary supplement grade, an ingredient made for things you swallow, not for a vein. As of September 23, 2026, the day this article was written, CDC counts over 25 people sick in at least four states, and at least three have been hospitalized.

Promise does not currently offer glutathione, and no Promise medication is involved.

What happened in the glutathione injection recall

It started in July, when Texas health officials told CDC about a group of patients who became sick after IV glutathione at an outpatient wellness clinic. Glutathione is a small peptide the body makes from three amino acids. Clinics sell it as a drip marketed for energy, "detox," skin and immunity.

Date (2026)	What happened
August 5	A first pharmacy recalled three lots of glutathione vials after its own testing found elevated endotoxin. They had gone to patients in Texas, Florida and New York.
August 19	A second pharmacy recalled one lot, shipped to patients in 14 states.
August 27	FDA reported at least 30 patients with reactions after IV glutathione from different pharmacies, all made from one ingredient lot "labeled as dietary supplement grade, which is not an appropriate ingredient to make injectable drugs."
September 11	CDC updated its investigation page, reviewed again September 15: over 25 people sick in four states.
September 13	FDA posted a third recall: six lots, including a Myers' cocktail and an immune blend made with glutathione that carried elevated endotoxin. That pharmacy had received nine reports of fever, chills, chest pain and similar symptoms.

The two agencies count at different times and in different ways, so treat both numbers as floors rather than totals. CDC says all three hospitalized patients received glutathione through a vein. One became critically ill and needed intensive care for shock and abnormal blood clotting.

If you've had a glutathione drip

A recall is narrow. It names a pharmacy, a product and specific lot numbers, and a vial that doesn't match all three isn't covered. Our guide to checking a compounded medication recall walks through matching a label to a notice.

Where they do match, the notices say to stop using the product and to tell a doctor about any symptoms. Two of them also say to set the vial aside and call the pharmacy about returning it. Severe symptoms, like fainting or trouble breathing, are an emergency.

The first two notices also said the pharmacies were calling and writing to both prescribers and patients. That only works because a pharmacy knows who received which lot. It's the unglamorous part of a prescription, and it's what turns a bad ingredient into a phone call instead of a mystery.

Why "supplement grade" matters in a vein

Endotoxin is a harmful substance from the outer wall of certain bacteria. It isn't a live germ, so a vial can grow nothing in a lab test and still carry enough to make someone very sick. Inside a vein it can set off fever, chills, low blood pressure and, at worst, shock.

"Dietary supplement grade" means the powder was made and labeled for supplements people swallow. FDA's August notice says those ingredients "may contain impurities and contaminants, including endotoxins, that may be harmful when administered as an injectable drug." Anything headed into a vein needs an ingredient made under conditions "appropriate for the intended route of administration," in FDA's words.

None of this is new. In 2015, seven people in Sydney fell ill after glutathione infusions. Investigators found the powder chemically correct and free of growing bacteria, yet every sample tested high for endotoxin, and all seven were sick within two hours (Johnstone et al., Epidemiology & Infection, 2018). In 2019, FDA warned compounders after seven patients at one clinic reacted within minutes of a glutathione IV. The powder was labeled "Caution: Dietary Supplement," and FDA's lab found endotoxin up to five times the appropriate limit. In 2024 the agency flagged the same problem with food-grade NAD+, which our NAD+ injection side effects guide covers.

Questions to ask before any compounded injection

CDC's page lists questions for patients before an injectable glutathione. They work for any compounded injection:

Was the product made with ingredients intended for injection?
Who compounded it? Is the pharmacy licensed or registered, and are there current recalls or safety warnings?
What was done to make sure it's sterile and doesn't contain unsafe levels of endotoxin?
What symptoms should I watch for afterward, and what should I do if they happen?
Is there an option that doesn't involve an injection?

FDA's advice to clinicians points the same way: they should "check with their compounders regarding the source of the glutathione." A good answer is specific. It's a pharmacy you can name, a lot number on the label, and someone willing to tell you where the ingredient came from.

The same questions belong to NAD+, another compound sold as a wellness injection. What NAD+ injections are and what the evidence shows covers the rest.

Drip menus versus a prescription

A 2025 study in JAMA Internal Medicine reviewed 255 IV hydration spa websites across all 50 states and D.C., and 137 of them offered glutathione in their drips. When researchers posed as customers at 87 spas, only 24 required a consultation with a licensed medical professional before treatment, and 21 described any potential risks (Sivakumar et al., 2025).

It's worth being plain: a prescription didn't prevent this outbreak. Licensed pharmacies made the recalled vials. What a prescribed route adds is accountability you can check: a clinician who reviews your history before anything is dispensed, a pharmacy named on the label, a lot number, and records that let a recall find you.

At Promise, a licensed provider reviews every request, and not everyone qualifies.

What the recall does not mean

It doesn't mean every glutathione injection is contaminated. FDA ties these cases to one ingredient lot labeled for supplements, and the recalls cover named lots from three pharmacies.

It isn't a finding about glutathione as a molecule, either. FDA describes the reactions as consistent with too much endotoxin, which is a contamination problem.

It doesn't mean the drips were doing much, though. A systematic review of glutathione for skin lightening, published in 2024, found just one placebo-controlled trial of the IV form in the decade of research it covered (Sarkar et al., International Journal of Dermatology).

No glutathione injection is FDA-approved in the United States. The drips are prepared by compounding pharmacies on a prescription, which is different from an FDA-approved product, and FDA doesn't review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they reach patients. A licensed provider may still prescribe a compounded formulation when it's appropriate; that decision is between the patient and the doctor. Because no one at FDA checks each preparation, the quality work sits with the pharmacy, which is why how compounded medications are made is worth a read.

What to watch next

FDA says it "continues to receive reports of adverse events consistent with endotoxin exposure and is actively investigating," so the counts may rise. Watch for further recalls, too. The longer-term question is whether ingredient suppliers follow FDA's call to state each ingredient's appropriate and inappropriate uses on the label and the certificate of analysis, the test report that travels with a batch.

Reactions after any compounded injection can be reported to FDA MedWatch.

Common questions

Why were glutathione injections recalled?

Because testing found elevated endotoxin, a toxic piece of bacterial debris, in the vials. Three Texas compounding pharmacies recalled specific lots in notices FDA posted between August 5 and September 13, 2026. FDA traced the illnesses to one lot of glutathione powder labeled as dietary supplement grade, which it says is not an appropriate ingredient for injectable drugs. The third recall also covered two multi-ingredient wellness drips made with glutathione that carried elevated endotoxin.

How many people got sick from glutathione injections?

CDC's investigation page, updated September 11, 2026, reports over 25 people sick in at least four states: Texas, Washington, Florida and New York. At least three were hospitalized after IV glutathione, and one needed intensive care for shock and abnormal blood clotting. FDA's August 27 notice counted at least 30 patients. The agencies count differently, and both describe the investigation as ongoing.

What does dietary supplement grade glutathione mean?

It means the powder was made and labeled for supplements people swallow, not for injectable drugs. FDA says ingredients labeled for dietary supplement use may contain impurities and contaminants, including endotoxins, that can be harmful when injected. Compounders are expected to use ingredients made under conditions and specifications appropriate for the route, and for a drip that means material suitable for going into a vein.

What are the side effects of a contaminated glutathione injection?

FDA lists fever, chills, pain, dizziness, signs of shock and sepsis-like symptoms among the reported reactions, and some people were hospitalized. Those symptoms are consistent with endotoxin exposure, which can also cause muscle aches, headache, nausea, vomiting and low blood pressure. In earlier clusters, reactions began during the infusion or within about two hours. Symptoms after a drip are worth reporting to the prescriber, and severe ones are an emergency.

Are glutathione injections safe?

The recalled ones were not, and FDA's investigation is still open. The trouble in this outbreak was a contaminated ingredient rather than a finding about glutathione itself, but an injection is only as safe as the ingredient and pharmacy behind it, and the evidence for what glutathione drips do is thin. CDC suggests asking whether the product was made with ingredients intended for injection, who compounded it, and how sterility and endotoxin were checked.

Is glutathione FDA-approved?

No. There is no FDA-approved glutathione injection in the United States; glutathione drips are compounded by pharmacies on a prescription and are not FDA-approved. FDA does not review compounded drugs for safety, effectiveness or quality before they reach patients. A licensed provider may still prescribe a compounded formulation when it is appropriate, and that decision is between the patient and the doctor.