Blood pressure medication recalled over cancer-causing chemical

Another pharmaceutical company is recalling blood pressure medication after detecting trace amounts of a cancer-causing chemical. The Food and Drug Administration announced Aurobindo Pharma USA, Inc. is voluntarily recalling 80 lots of Amlodipine Valsartan Tablets, Valsartan HCTZ Tablets, and Valsartan Tablets.

The impurity involves a chemical called N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), which 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.”

To date, the company says it has not received any reports of patients suffering adverse effects related to the recall.

A full list of the recalled products is posted on the FDA’s website. Products can be identified by checking the product name, manufacturer details, and batch or lot number on the pill bottles. Expiration dates range from May 2019 to March 2021.

The FDA is advising patients prescribed these medications to continue to take them, as the health risks may be higher if the treatment is stopped immediately without any alternative treatment. However, patients should consult with their pharmacist or physician who can advise them on alternative treatments.

Last month, Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited issued a voluntary recall of two lots of Losartan potassium tablets over similar concerns surrounding trace amounts of NDEA. And in November, Mylan Pharmaceuticals also issued a voluntary recall of some of its Amlodipine and Valsartan products for the same reason.