HARTFORD, Conn. — NBC 4 Connecticut reported that the manufacturer of a frequently-prescribed high blood pressure medication issued an urgent recall of the medication. Officials from the U.S. Federal Drug Administration issued the most recent recall of the drug losartan potassium and losartan potassium/hydrochlorothiazide medications produced by the international drugmaker Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. This is the […]
HARTFORD, Conn. — NBC 4 Connecticut reported that the manufacturer of a frequently-prescribed high blood pressure medication issued an urgent recall of the medication. Officials from the U.S. Federal Drug Administration issued the most recent recall of the drug losartan potassium and losartan potassium/hydrochlorothiazide medications produced by the international drugmaker Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. This is the fourth recall of the medication since Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. issued the first recall notice in December of 2018.
Torrent Pharmaceuticals issued the fourth recall in mid-April 2019 due after detecting a carcinogen in the medication. The impurity regulators discovered was identified as N-Methylnitrosobutyric acid or NMBA for short. The FDA allows very low levels of this possible carcinogen in medications. However, the losartan products yielded levels that crossed acceptable thresholds. No injuries or illnesses were reported at this time. Consumers must be aware that even though the NMBA molecule appeared at higher than permissible levels, the FDA indicated that the standards were at trace amounts. Nonetheless, the FDA determined that a recall was appropriate at this time.
Torrent Pharmaceuticals, which is based in India, is not the only company to recall the losartan line of products. Other companies have recalled the drug but for different reasons. Therefore, patients taking losartan medications must speak with their prescribing physicians about coming off of the medicine and substituting a new medication.
Lorsatan-based medications help patients control high blood pressure. Lorsatan drugs are indicated for left ventricle heart conditions as well as heart conditions related to or caused by Type-II diabetes. Lorsatan containing potassium and hydrochlorothiazide is prescribed for people suffering from high blood pressure but is not designed to treat issues of neuropathy brought on by Type II diabetes.
Any patient taking losartan-based medications must report adverse symptoms to their doctor and Torrent Pharmaceuticals as soon as possible.