Dramatic Drug Recall - What do we do now?

    Product recalls happen daily, right? There is always some car air bag or high chair or type of lettuce being recalled for one reason or another. But what happens when a medication gets recalled? A medication that your doctor made sure you knew was very important to continue taking. A medication that is not supposed to be stopped suddenly. So now what? I’m going to talk today about how to digest all of the information coming out about Valsartan and its new-found link to cancer.

    On July 13, 2018 the FDA announced a voluntary recall of several medicines containing Valsartan following detected of an impurity (Walsh, 2018). The medication is used to treat serious conditions such as hypertension and heart failure. The impurity that they found in the drug is N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA).  NDMA is listed as a probable human carcinogen and is not normally an occurring byproduct in the manufacturing of this particular drug. Officials believe that there was some sort of malfunction during manufacturing that led to its current build-up in some brands of the medication. So far, the amounts isolated within the medication are so minute that they are fairly unlikely to pose an immediate threat to most people. However, people with other chronic health problems are at greater risk of injury and ignoring this recall and continuing to take it can also prove to be fatal.

    There are still lots of investigations underway to determine just how much NDMA is in each form of the medication and to what extent that amount can harm people. There are still a whole lot more questions than there are answers. There are even 22 other countries involved in this recall as well.

 An important thing to make not of is that not all products containing Valsartan are being recalled and that is why you should contact your doctor or pharmacist about your specific prescription to determine whether you are part of the recall of not. Only certain companies have been found to have medications containing NDMA. Those companies are:

• Valsartan from
  • Major Pharmaceuticals
  • Solco Healthcare
  • Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd.
• Valsartan/Hydrochlorothiazide from
  • Solco Healthcare
  • Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd.

     Your best option for finding a different medication or even just a different manufacturer of this medication is to set up an appointment with your primary care physician. Going to the emergency department will not grant new a new prescription because emergency physicians are not going to set you up on a new blood pressure regimen without the ability to monitor you for safety afterwards. They will leave that up to your primary care physician.

    Your medication does NOT need to be stopped abruptly, either. If it will be a few days or even  a week before you are able to get a different brand or prescription, its ok to continue taking the drug. The potential adverse effects of abruptly stopping a medication that is for hypertension or heart failure can be remarkably detrimental and debilitating. It could result in heart failure exacerbations or even stroke. It is not worth it.

     If you do not have a primary care physician, it would be in your best interest to try and obtain one as soon as possible or visit your local county health department to see if there is some way you can get some help. It is not a good idea to risk cancer, but it is also not a very good idea to put yourself at immediate risk for great injury by stopping it quickly.

References:

Walsh, Sandy. 2018. FDA announces voluntary recall of several medicines containing valsartan following detection of an impurity. U.S Food & Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm613532.htm