If you take blood pressure medication or love someone who does, please pay attention. It was announced by the FDA this week that three drug companies recalled 126 lots of the blood pressure drugs losartan and valsartan after it was discovered that they contained trace amounts of “probable carcinogens.” 1 The drugs are part of a class of drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs).

  • AurobindoPharma recalled 38 lots of valsartan and valsartan combined with amlodipine; 40 mg, 80 mg, 160 mg and 320 mg tablets that were distributed to pharmacies under the names AurobindoPharma USA and Acetris Health LLC.1
  • Camber Pharmaceuticals Inc. on Thursday recalled 87 lots of losartan that contained small amounts of N-Nitroso N-Methyl 4-amino butyric acid, or NMBA; 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg tablets were distributed nationally to retail and mail-order pharmacies, wholesalers and distributors. 1
  • Macleods Pharmaceuticals Limited recalled a single lot on Feb. 22; the meds are packaged in 30-count, 90-count, 500-count and 1000-count bottles.1

For a full list of recalled medications, click here.

Please, if you are taking one of these meds, contact your health care professional immediately.

Camber Pharmaceuticals says the active drug ingredient in question was made at Hetero Labs Limited in India and is one of two overseas drug factories linked to repeated blood medication recalls since July 2018. 

In total, there have been more than a dozen recalls of versions of the blood pressure and heart medications losartan, valsartan, and irbesartan that contained trace amounts of probable carcinogens.1

SOURCE:

  1. USA Today