Dollar Tree customers warned discount chain may be selling potentially unsafe drugs, cosmetics

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to Dollar Tree stores for allegedly receiving foreign tainted over-the-counter drugs.

The FDA issued a letter to Greenbrier International Inc. on Nov. 6 outlining several federal law violations involving the ways in which Dollar Tree received and sold potentially dangerous OTC drugs and other drug products.

Federal regulators said some of the drugs found to be adulterated, included acne treatment pads and assured brand drugs.

Some foreign manufacturers that do not test their products were cited in the letter; the FDA released the following statement in regards to the warning they issue:

"Protecting patient health and safety is our highest priority, and the FDA continues to investigate and take action against companies that place U.S. patients at risk. Americans expect and deserve drugs that are safe, effective and that meet our standards for quality. The importation and distribution of drugs and other products from manufacturers that violate federal law is unacceptable...In this case, Dollar Tree has the ultimate responsibility to ensure that it does not sell potentially unsafe drugs and other FDA-regulated products to Americans," said Donald D. Ashley, director of the Office of Compliance in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Manufacturers that received contaminated drugs from contract manufacturers were placed on import alert, which the FDA uses to prevent potentially tainted products from being imported into the United States.

Dollar Tree said that it is cooperating with the FDA and plans to meet with the agency in the near future.