Over the past month, several hypertension medications have been recalled. Now, the recall is being expanded once again.
If you take drugs to lower your blood pressure, you might want to talk to your doctor. The U.S. Food and Drug Association has issued recalls for Losartan potassium tablets, Valsartan products, and others. If you’re taking any of the recalled medications, you’ll likely want to find alternatives.
The latest voluntary recall was once again the product of finding trace amounts of the cancer-causing chemical N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) in several blood pressure drugs.
The substance occurs naturally in some food products, drinking water, air pollution, and also industrial processes. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), it also classifies as a probable human carcinogen.
Losartan potassium tablets from Torrent Pharmaceuticals are the latest to be recalled. However, recalls are also affecting Valsartan-containing products produced by Mylan Pharmaceuticals. Additionally, this also affects those which are combination tablets with Amlodipine and/or Hydrochlorothiazide.
Oscor Inc.’s Losartan Potassium Hydrochlorothiazide have also been recalled for the same reasons.
These medications are used for treating hypertension, Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, and for treatment of nephropathy in Type 2 diabetic patients.
Common prescription brand names for Valsartan, Losartan, and Irbesartan include Diovan, Cozaar, and Avapro.
The products that have been recalled have several identifiers you can look for on the pill bottle. The product name, batch or lot number, and manufacturer details should all be clearly printed on the label. And, of course, the FDA has a wealth of information on the drugs that have been affected.
If you take any of these products, you should continue taking them until you can obtain an alternative. Those who are taking these medications may risk worse harm to their health by a sudden stop in use.
However, you should also talk to your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible. That way, you can be advised about alternative treatments.
