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from the ingredients-going-bad-is-enough-to-give-you-heartburn dept.
FDA Requests Removal of All Ranitidine Products (Zantac) from the Market:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced it is requesting manufacturers withdraw all prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine drugs from the market immediately. This is the latest step in an ongoing investigation of a contaminant known as N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in ranitidine medications (commonly known by the brand name Zantac). The agency has determined that the impurity in some ranitidine products increases over time and when stored at higher than room temperatures and may result in consumer exposure to unacceptable levels of this impurity. As a result of this immediate market withdrawal request, ranitidine products will not be available for new or existing prescriptions or OTC use in the U.S.
[...] NDMA is a probable human carcinogen (a substance that could cause cancer). In the summer of 2019, the FDA became aware of independent laboratory testing that found NDMA in ranitidine. Low levels of NDMA are commonly ingested in the diet, for example NDMA is present in foods and in water. These low levels would not be expected to lead to an increase in the risk of cancer. However, sustained higher levels of exposure may increase the risk of cancer in humans. The FDA conducted thorough laboratory tests and found NDMA in ranitidine at low levels. At the time, the agency did not have enough scientific evidence to recommend whether individuals should continue or stop taking ranitidine medicines, and continued its investigation and warned the public in September 2019 of the potential risks and to consider alternative OTC and prescription treatments.
New FDA testing and evaluation prompted by information from third-party laboratories confirmed that NDMA levels increase in ranitidine even under normal storage conditions, and NDMA has been found to increase significantly in samples stored at higher temperatures, including temperatures the product may be exposed to during distribution and handling by consumers. The testing also showed that the older a ranitidine product is, or the longer the length of time since it was manufactured, the greater the level of NDMA. These conditions may raise the level of NDMA in the ranitidine product above the acceptable daily intake limit.
With today's announcement, the FDA is sending letters to all manufacturers of ranitidine requesting they withdraw their products from the market. The FDA is also advising consumers taking OTC ranitidine to stop taking any tablets or liquid they currently have, dispose of them properly and not buy more; for those who wish to continue treating their condition, they should consider using other approved OTC products. Patients taking prescription ranitidine should speak with their health care professional about other treatment options before stopping the medicine, as there are multiple drugs approved for the same or similar uses as ranitidine that do not carry the same risks from NDMA. To date, the FDA's testing has not found NDMA in famotidine (Pepcid), cimetidine (Tagamet), esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) or omeprazole (Prilosec).
In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA recommends patients and consumers not take their medicines to a drug take-back location but follow the specific disposal instructions in the medication guide or package insert or follow the agency's recommended steps, which include ways to safely dispose of these medications at home.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 08 2020, @02:03AM
Did you even read the CNN article before complaining about them so self-righteously? Did you even read the CDC statement you pasted in, all impressed with yourself?
First of all, the CDC statement you quoted said pretty much exactly what your parent poster said: "Among 508 (12%) patients known to have been hospitalized, [...] 20% were aged 20–44 years."
Second of all, the CNN article consisted mostly of a summary of that same CDC statement. They linked to it. The article called it a "big part" of hospitalizations, which I guess you could complain about, but it is larger than the narrative that you Trumpfucks have been peddling. The rest of the article was just quoting Dr. Deborah Birx, who is some sort of Trumpian hero.
But you just had to randomly whine about CNN, didn't you? While not even having any idea what was in the article? That's pretty much all the Trumpfucks seem to do these days. Sob without having the slightest idea what you are talking about, or the slightest desire to know.