Teva Pharmaceuticals has extended this week its recall of losartan potassium tablets after the detection of a possible carcinogen in humans in the treatment of blood pressure.

The Israeli-based drug maker has recalled another six batches of losartan potassium containing unacceptable levels of nitrosamine impurity. In April, Teva took 35 batches of this drug after it detected the same impurity, N-nitroso-N-methyl-4-aminobutyric acid, or NMBA.

Teva sold bulk lots of this drug to Golden State Medical Supply of California, who packaged it and shipped it to pharmacies in vials containing 30, 90 and 1,000 tablets, according to a recall notice shared by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Consumers affected by the recall should continue to take their medications and ask their doctor or pharmacist if alternatives or alternative medications are available. Stopping treatment without replacement can cause more harm to a patient than continuing to take it.

Since July, two dozen pharmaceutical companies have recalled hundreds of commonly prescribed medications for blood pressure and heart, losartan, valsartan and irbesartan, after revealing that some versions contained small amounts of suspected carcinogens. Recall of the class of medications known as angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ARAs) have highlighted the complexity of the drug supply chain: 80% of the pharmaceutical ingredients consumed by US residents are manufactured in drug factories. abroad.

More: FDA: Carcinogenic substances for high blood pressure have not been detected for four years, cancer risk is low

More: Medicines Recall Against Hypertension: FDA Investigates Foreign Plants Producing Drugs Containing Carcinogenic Impurities

More: Recalled blood pressure medications linked to cancer risk are acceptable in the short term, says FDA

Teva said in its recall notice that the impurity of NMBA had been attributed to ingredients manufactured by Hetero Labs Limited in India, a factory related to several recalls. The FDA and European drug regulatory authorities first traced ingredients contaminated with carcinogens last July to Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical in Linhai, China.

Despite the many recalls regarding this class of drugs, the FDA says that versions of losartan are available.

The FDA will allow losartan with trace amounts of nitrosamine impurities because the agency says it will not increase the risk of cancer. The measure is designed to avoid a shortage of essential medicines – the ninth most commonly prescribed drug in the country.

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