A pharmaceutical company is recalling a blood pressure medication due to a potential cancer risk, the FDA announced this week.
Aurobindo Pharma USA is recalling two lots of quinapril and hydrochlorothiazide tablets due to levels of nitrosamine. The tablets are commonly prescribed for the treatment of hypertension to lower blood pressure.
Low levels of nitrosamine, or N-nitroso-quinapril, is regularly found in water and food including cured and grilled meats, dairy products and vegetables. Exposure to high levels, the FDA reports, has been linked with an elevated risk of cancer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the company's voluntary recall Wednesday.
According to the FDA advisory, the medication are “pink colored, scored, round shaped, biconvex, film-coated tablets, debossed with ‘D’ on the scored side and ‘19’ on the other side.”
So far, the FDA reported no adverse events have been linked to this issue.
“Patients should contact their doctor or health care provider about whether to continue taking their medication, or whether to consider an alternative treatment prior to returning their medication,” according to an advisory on the FDA’s website.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
