The Food and Drug Administration has once again expanded its recall of widely prescribed blood pressure drugs because of contamination with a chemical that is linked to cancer.
This voluntary recall targets thirty-two lots of the blood pressure drug losartan, a generic angiotensin II receptor blocker, (ARB) distributed by Macleods Pharmaceuticals.
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Several batches of generic ARBs have been removed from the market because they contain the chemical poison nitrosamines, which increases the chance of getting certain kinds of cancer. Losartan is used to treat high blood pressure as well as heart failure.
FDA spokesperson Jeremy Kahn said this to NBC News:
“The FDA is continuing to work with manufacturers to swiftly remove medications from the market if they contain unacceptable levels of nitrosamines, We’re continuing our investigation as part of our commitment to ensuring adequate and safe supply of ARB medicines for patients.
…the agency has identified 43 ARB medications that are free of nitrosamine impurities, and that this number is expected to “increase as companies continue to manufacture ARBs without nitrosamine impurities and work to replenish the U.S. supply.
If a patient is currently taking one of the recalled medications, they shouldn’t worry because there are lots of alternative blood pressure medications that patients can be switched over to The most important thing is to not stop your medication without speaking with your doctor because of the dangers of untreated blood pressure.”1
Besides losartan, the list of contaminated batches that have been recalled includes valsartan and irbesartan, which are two other ARBs that have been affected.
Patients who are taking an ARB should immediately contact their physician or pharmacist to find out if their medications are on the list since there are different formulations of these medications.
