Tainted Losartan Recalled Due to Presence of Carcinogen
The FDA has announced a voluntary recall of Losartan Potassium by Legacy Pharmaceutical Packaging, LLC. This recall is an expansion of the earlier recall and due to the presence of trace amounts of a chemical called NMBA – a potential carcinogen.
What is Losartan?
Losartan is a commonly prescribed medication for high blood pressure. While it didn’t make our cut for the 10 most common drugs prescribed in the US, it’s not far behind at #12.
Why this Losartan Recall?
Trace amounts of a chemical called NMBA was found by the manufacturers, Camber Pharmaceuticals, Inc in the Losartan. NMBA is known as a nitrosamine, which is a carcinogen linked to esophageal and gastric cancers. In previous reports the FDA has indicated that the level of risk to individual patients is very low, but it’s still high enough to warrant the recall.
How to Tell if Your Losartan was Recalled
You should head to the FDA’s website and look at their newest list of Losartan recalls. The latest recall was this expansion to 40 repacked lots. Just keep in mind that this is an expansion of the previous Losartan recall that’s been ongoing for several months.
