Blood pressure medication recall due to potential cancer risk expanded
TORONTO — A recall of medications used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure has been expanded over concerns additional lots of the drugs may contain a substance that can increase the risk of cancer, Health Canada said.
The agency said it asked Teva Canada to expand its voluntary recall on eight additional lots of valsartan medications as a precautionary measure.
That comes after Health Canada announced the recall of 28 valsartan medications last month because the drugs contained an impurity known as NDMA, a potential carcinogen that can cause cancer with long-term exposure.
A Health Canada spokeswoman said Monday that the recall has expanded because there may be traces of NDMA in the active valsartan ingredient in eight other medications.