900,000 patients affected: scandal around contaminated antihypertensives

Stand: 14:34 | Reading time: 2 minutes

B There are 900,000 patients throughout the country who, according to an article in the press, could have taken the blood pressure alone in the previous year contaminated with a potentially carcinogenic substance. This is the result of a federal government response to a request from the Greens, which was the "Tagesspiegel".

Antihypertensive drugs are drugs with active ingredient Valsartan. In early July, regulators in Europe ordered a stop of sales and a preventive recall for several of these drugs. Eugen Brysch of the board of directors of the German Foundation for the Protection of Patients speaks of criminal machinations with pharmaceuticals and sees the policy in the obligation.1 In 2017, about nine million packets of drugs valsartanhaltiger have been prescribed, said Sabine Weiss, secretary of state at the Ministry of Health. with. "As approximately 40% of batches are involved in the recall, approximately 900,000 patients may be affected by the above mentioned requirements."

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However, according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), there is "no acute risk to health ". The Greens in the Bundestag, however, have criticized the authorities' treatment on the subject: The statement of the EMA calm little, said the group's pharmaceutical expert, Kordula Schulz-ash, the newspaper. Lastly, the drugs have been contaminated for six years and the long-term use risks have not been badessed until now.

Bremen pharmacologist Gerd Glaeske called for "a more intensive control network". In order to avoid quality defects, legislators must require reliable product testing from generic drug distributors. Health insurance companies can at any time prove purchase and certificates for generic products in their offers.

Brysch of the Foundation for the Protection of Patients sees politics as an obligation. "Criminal machinations with pharmaceuticals are taking on unprecedented dimensions in Germany," he said. "However, priority prosecutors lack the protection of patients.This must change quickly.Justice ministers are needed."

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After the recall of Valsartan, the health authorities had recommended a switch to harmless drugs in mid-July. Individuals should consult their doctor or pharmacist, which funds are affected by the recall, said the Federal Institute of Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) in Bonn. If necessary, they could then be switched to another valsartanhaltiges medicine. In no case should the medication be stopped without consulting the doctor.

According to Hochdruckliga, 20 to 30 million people in Germany are suffering from hypertension. Consequences such as heart attack and stroke can be life threatening.