Losartan Recall Lawsuit

On Sept. 23, 2019 the Food and Drug Administration issued a voluntary nationwide recall of a popular and widely-prescribed blood pressure medication due to a cancer-related contamination.

Five lots of the generic drug called losartan have been recalled from the U.S market. Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited is the manufacturer of the generic medication involved in the recall. This is the fifth time the company has expanded its voluntary recall of losartan in 2019.

Those with high blood pressure experience a tightening of the blood vessels due to a chemical in our bodies called angiotensin. When this happens, people are more prone to having heart disease, heart attack, kidney disease, or stroke due to the heart working faster than normal. Losartan works by allowing the blood vessels to open and be more relaxed.

The recall involves both losartan potassium/hydrochlorothiazide tablets and losartan potassium tablets. Losartan is considered a generic angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), and is primarily used to treat high blood pressure or heart failure.

Many ARB medications have been recalled due to the presence of nitrosamines which have shown to cause an increased risk of cancer. The chemical called N-methylnitrosobutyric acid (NMBA) is what has been detected in losartan tablets and is considered a human carcinogen.

It’s important to talk to a health care professional if you’re concerned about continuing use with any losartan products. There may be alternative batches that were not detected to contain NMBA, or an alternative medication to go on. However, any changes should be discussed at once and under a doctor’s supervision.

The FDA said in the recall announcement anyone taking losartan should continue using it until you have spoken with a physician, as the risk may be higher if stopped abruptly.

The following is a list of losartan tablets involved in the recall:

Losartan Lawsuit