Six types of prescription drugs for treating heart disease and hypertension registered under Taiwanese pharmaceutical companies are being recalled as a precaution, as they could contain a probable carcinogen, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The announcement came after governments in Hong Kong, Macau, the UK and several other countries ordered recalls of anti-hypertensive drugs containing valsartan produced by Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (浙江華海製藥公司) in China.
N-nitrosodimethylamine, a chemical classified as a probable human carcinogen based on laboratory test results, was detected in the valsartan.
Photo: CNA
The FDA on Saturday said that the recalled products registered under pharmaceutical company Actavis Generics were not imported to Taiwan.
However, after a preliminary examination of drugs containing valsartan that are registered in Taiwan, it discovered that six products contain valsartan from Huahai Pharmaceutical Co.
The products being recalled are: Valsart FC Tablet 160mg and Valsart FC Tablet 80mg registered to Standard Chemical and Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (生達化學製藥); Kovan Plus Coated Tablets 80/12.5mg registered to Macro Co Ltd (瑪科隆); Valsardin Film Coated Tablet 160mg and Valsardin Film Coated Tablet 80mg registered to Yung Shin Pharmaceutical Industrial Co (永信藥品); and Valen FC Tablet 160mg registered to Purzer Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (瑞安大藥廠).
The six products that are being recalled account for about 3 to 4 percent of their category in Taiwan, so the majority of heart disease patients do not have to panic, FDA official Chi Jo-feng (祁若鳳) said.
Healthcare facilities and pharmacies have been told to recall the products within a month, the FDA said, adding that patients taking the recalled drugs should not to stop taking them, but rater see a doctor as soon as possible for an alternative prescription.
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