Pfizer recalls drug that can cause cancer

Cause of drug recall The above is due to an “unacceptably high” content of a substance that US regulators consider can cause cancer. People already taking the blood pressure drug Accuretic to reduce their risk of stroke and heart attack are advised to look for alternative medications.

Several batches of Accuretic were “contaminated” and two other authorized versions of the drug (quinapril HCl/hydrochlorothiazide) dispensed by Greenstone were found to have higher levels of N-nitroso-quinapril than daily intake recommended by regulators (ADI), Pfizer said in a statement. The company provided batch numbers and other information to identify the batches of the drug that needed to be recalled.

While everyone is exposed to nitrosamines to some degree, “these impurities can increase cancer risk if exposure to them is above acceptable levels over long periods of time,” notes Pfizer.

Pfizer’s Accuretic. (Photo: ABC7)

Pfizer did not specify what levels of nitrosamines were detected in batches of the “contaminated” drug, but said the drug has a safety record that has been licensed for more than 20 years and undergoes a testing program. rigorous clinical trials.

“Pfizer believes the benefits/risks of the products remain positive based on currently available data,” the statement said. The recall is completely voluntary and is being conducted “with supervision” by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Accuretic and its versions are prescribed to patients with high blood pressure to reduce the risk of “cardiovascular events” such as strokes and heart attacks.

Patients currently taking the drug should “consult their physician about alternative medication options,” said Pfizer. Meanwhile, wholesalers and distributors should “immediately stop using, distributing and quarantining the product” for the batches of the listed drugs.

This New York-based pharmaceutical giant is worth billions of dollars and manufactures a wide variety of drugs. Over the past two years, Pfizer has also emerged as a major producer of an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine.

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