Several packagers of the generic blood pressure medications valsartan and valsartan HCT have recalled some of these products due to impurities that may put patients at risk for cancer.

Valsartan and its variant valsartan HCT (also known as valsartan HCTZ) are generic versions of the drug Diovan. They are drugs used to lower high blood pressure.

According to a China-based pharmaceutical company that manufactures valsartan, a problem at their manufacturing facility recently caused the drug to be contaminated with a potential carcinogen.

The contamination has led to recalls of certain valsartan products in the U.S., U.K. and Europe. The contaminant has not been discovered to be associated with the name-brand version of the drug, Diovan.

The contaminant that is reportedly associated with the recall is N-nitrosodimethylamine, or NDMA. It is classified by a number of heath organizations as a “probable human carcinogen,” meaning that it is believed to most likely be able to cause cancer in humans. The contaminant has been found in valsartan manufactured by Zhejiang Huahai Pharmeceuticals, a Chinese company that produces pharmaceutical drugs.

The European Medicines Agency announced that NDMA had been discovered in valsartan in May 2018. Though the contamination problem with valsartan and its variants has only recently discovered, patients and experts worry that the problem has been going on for many years. Experts are worried that as a result, many people have been exposed to the contaminant and have possibly developed cancer as a result.

Reportedly, the valsartan drugs began to be contaminated with NDMA most likely when Zhejiang Huahai Pharmeceuticals changed their manufacturing processes for the drug in 2012. So, dangerous contaminants may have been in the drug for as long as six years.

Because of the danger associated with NDMA, the Food and Drug Administration had requested a recall of certain kinds of valsartan and valsartan HCT from the U.S. drug market. As a part of the recall, pharmacists have been asked to remove the medications from their inventories and send them back to the drug’s manufacturers.

The drug has been packaged and distributed by a number of drug companies, including Major Pharmaceuticals, Solco Healthcare, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries.

The FDA is continuing to review the valsartan medication, assessing the drug’s risks and benefits to human health, as well as the potential danger of NDMA contamination to patients. Currently, they advise patients who take the drug to continue using the drug at least until they consult their physician about starting a replacement course of treatment, because conditions requiring blood pressure medications like valsartan are often very serious and require close monitoring.

The recall announcement may compound worries for valsartan patients, who already may face an elevated risk of liver damage by taking this medication.

Filing a Valsartan Lawsuit or Valsartan HCT Lawsuit

Lawyers are now investigating claims from patients who have taken valsartan and valsartan HCT, then developed cancer. If you developed cancer after taking valsartan or valsartan HCT, you may have a legal claim.

Filling a valsartan lawsuit could help hold drug companies accountable for exposing patients to dangerous contaminants. It can also enable you to receive compensation for physical, emotional, or financial injury you have suffered.