The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated its blood pressure drug recall list to warn consumers of another voluntary valsartan blood pressure medication callback.
On Tuesday, Teva Pharmaceuticals issued another voluntary recall for valsartan combination tablets manufactured by Mylan India, including amlodipine-valsartan combination tablets and amlodipine-valsartan-hydrochlorothiazide combination tablets.
All of these drugs are being recalled due to the possibility that they are contaminated with organic chemical N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), which is used to make liquid rocket fuel and is classified as a probable human carcinogen.
These ongoing 2018 blood pressure recalls began back in July when three drug companies, including Teva Pharmaceuticals, began recalling medications containing valsartan. With this recall, Teva is now pulling back all of its valsartan drugs on the U.S. market.
Other blood pressure drugs have been recalled over concerns they also contain trace amounts of NDEA. In early November, another blood pressure drug, irbesartan, was recalled, followed in mid-November by a voluntary recall of losartan potassium hydrochlorothiazide tablets, also prescribed to treat hypertension.
As with the other valsartan blood pressure medications recalled, individuals are advised to contact their healthcare providers while continuing to take the recalled drugs. Suddenly stopping blood pressure medication of this type could cause other serious medical issues.
A full list of the lots of Teva Pharmaceutical hypertension medications being recalled can be found here.