The intake of Valsartan should not be interrupted after the removal of lots from the market

National Association of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) conducted a few days ago to preventive recall of a series of specific lots of drugs with the drug. active ingredient " Valsartan ", Prepared by the manufacturer Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., of China as reported by CONBIENESTAR in a timely manner.

The same measure was adopted by health authorities of various countries of the world after ] The European Medicines Agency will warn against the existence in Valsartan produced by this company Chinese pharmaceutical of an impurity called "N-nitrosodimethylamine" (NDMA), potentially carcinogenic.

In Argentina, ANMAT asked all laboratories to market drugs containing valsartan among its active ingredients the details of batches made during the last 24 months in order to identify those in which the above impurity could be present. After the badysis of the information, more than one hundred lots of potentially affected drugs were removed from the market

What should patients do when taking Valsartan?

Faced with this situation, the Fundación Cardiológica Argentina (FCA) considers it necessary to warn that patients who take a drug containing Valsartan should not stop taking it before consulting their doctor ", since the consequences of doing so without proper indication imply a high risk ".

Valsartan is a widely used drug for the treatment of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. "Multiple studies have shown their utility in managing these conditions, which has allowed for increased survival and reduced morbidity and mortality. cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the country and in the world, "says Dr. Miguel Schiavone cardiologist (MN 122.283) and CAF member

Respect for the impurity NDMA, the physician Stella Maris Pereiro González cardiologist (MN 86.337) and member of the FCA, confirms that in our country "this substance has been clbadified as a probable carcinogen in humans of group 2A, which encompbades the products and substances with evidence that there is probably a positive badociation between the product and the development of long-term tumors. "

" It is not to alarm the population but to provide clear and accurate information so that patients do not interrupt treatment until your doctor does not indicate the replacement of the drug in cases that are necessary, "says the physician Jorge Tartaglione cardiologist (MN 67.502) and president of the FCA, who points out that – as indicated by the ANMAT – Valsartan is not questioned as antihypertensive and for heart failure, but the problem is limited to the raw material from the manufacturer.