After a recent recall by a pharmaceutical company, another pharmaceutical company recalled its blood pressure medications after it detected amounts of cancer-causing chemical. An announcement was made by Food and Drug Administration that said that Aurobindo Pharma USA, Inc. has voluntarily recalled 80 lots of Amlodipine Valsartan tablets, Valsartan Tablets and Valsartan HCTZ tablets.
The impurity in question is related to the chemical known as N-nitrosodiethylamine that the FDA describes as a “substance that occurs naturally in certain foods, drinking water, air pollution, and industrial processes, and has been classified as a probable human carcinogen.” However, the company has said that it not received any reports of patients suffering adverse effects related to the recall.
A full list of the recalled products has been posted on the website of the FDA. The products can be identified by checking the product name, manufacturer details, and match or lot number on the pill bottles. The expiry date ranges from May 2019 to March 2021. Meanwhile the FDA has advised the patients to continue to take the medications as the health risk might be higher if the treatment is stopped without any alternative treatment. At the same time the patients must consult their pharmacist or physician who can advise them with alternative treatments. The patients are advised to contact the doctor before changing the drug.
Just a month back Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited issued a voluntary recall of two lots of Losartan potassium tablets with similar concerns surrounding the trace amounts of NDEA. Mylan Pharmaceuticals had in November, 2018 issued a voluntary recall of some of its Amlopidine and Valsartan products for the same reason. Since November 2018, about 6 blood pressure medications have been recalled and all of them have found traces of N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) and are manufactured by different companies. There are many patients who depend on blood pressure medications.
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