Inner Blood Pressure Disorders

That experienced pharmacists and general practitioners across the country. They are currently informing their patients that they are no longer able to deliver this drug, valsartan / hydrochlorothiazide. "This situation certainly worries", admits a general practitioner of Almere

. The recall, which has been in motion since Monday and Tuesday, is being done by order of the Health and Youth Inspectorate and the Drug Evaluation Council More than 150,000 patients in the Netherlands Bas use substances containing the active ingredient valsartan. These medications are prescribed for the treatment of high blood pressure, a recent heart attack and heart failure.

"Bizarre"

"What should I do now?", Asks Amsterdammer Rolf Ritter (77). He has been using this medication for twenty years. "Although the drug is doing what it should be doing, my pharmacy told me that it could no longer be delivered." Because it would be "polluted". My doctor said that there could be a relationship with liver cancer. But my cardiologist, when I called him immediately afterwards, knew nothing about it – it's strange! The information on this type of drug-related events is downright harmful. "

Hans van Laarhoven of Harteraad, a large national association of patients with cardiovascular disease, is reacting more and more to what is already called 'Valsartan-gate'." The risk of cancer would be 6 out of 100,000, statistically not really high. Nevertheless, users of this medication immediately involve: "What does this mean for me?" There are now 7 questions to ask. Logic. "

According to the Dutch Inspection, the likelihood that the patient actually develops cancer when using contaminated drugs is low, according to her, a first European analysis is shown." According to the RIVM, this luck is comparable to the extra risk of cancer due to regular consumption of roast meat. "

Reminder of Action

The" National Reminder "of a number of drugs containing Valsartan follows after something went wrong in producing this in a single raw material factory in China.An "impurity" has occurred, reports the Health Care Inspectorate. NDMA (N-nitrosodimethylamine), classified as "probably carcinogenic." Pollution was detected randomly in 2,300 batches of drugs (production series) from China, which occurred in 23 European have the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany. This is why the recall action applies to the whole of Europe. Medicines are taken over as a preventive measure by pharmacists, not (yet) among users.

Pharmacist Jaap Uithof of Hasselt reacts: "It often does not have the same taste as the raw material contaminated with a carcinogenic nitrosamine. I always wonder how this holiday was released. Who did the analysis and what came out of it? Who decided that it was "pretty good"? There is simply not enough insight into production in China and India to guarantee quality properly. "