Most patients taking popular blood pressure medicines already know that their drug could have been affected by one of the many valsartan recalls announced in the past year. Users of valsartan and losartan should check the online recall list to ensure that their medicine was not impacted by potential contamination that could expose the patient to a higher than normal cancer risk.

According to USA Today, lawsuits have already been filed over the contamination of drugs containing valsartan, but future claims could also expand those legal arguments to related medicines like losartan and irbesartan. These ingredients are commonly found in blood pressure drugs manufactured all over the world.

Some of the recalls also included losartan drugs, according to the FDA, which is why some plaintiffs report that they want to amend their legal claims to include impacted lots of that medicine, too. While the relative cancer risk is small due to potential contamination, patients argue that the manufacturers should have been more proactive in preventing problems and in publicizing the risks.

When drug manufacturer Torrent announced their most recent recall of affected medicines, including losartan tablets, they stated that they were making an effort to reduce the possibility that patients could be exposed to potential carcinogens but that the cancer risk for those taking the drugs was lower than previously reported.

Contaminants introduced during the manufacturing process, however, could become problematic for patients taking the highest possible dose of the medicines for a long time. This has led many patients taking valsartan and losartan to reconsider their options and to discuss other blood pressure drugs with their doctors.

Personal injury lawsuits against the makers of drugs included in the recalls have already been filed all over the U.S. by patients who claim that they developed side effects or cancer as a result of taking medicines they thought would improve their blood pressure problems.

Those valsartan lawsuits were recently consolidated by a federal court to bring together all claims against the manufacturer Zheijian Huahai out of China. In addition to that drugmaker, other named defendants include repackagers, pharmacies, and distributors.

In total, hundreds of lots of blood pressure and heart medications were recalled after testing found that the medicines contained a likely carcinogen known as NDMA. Other impurities discovered in future testing included NMBA and NDEA.

Most patients taking affected versions of the drug have already been notified by their doctor or through their own research and switched to another medicine. It can be very dangerous for patients to suddenly stop taking blood pressure drugs.

Now, however, the focus is likely to shift to those patients who have experienced side effects and symptoms as a result of their blood pressure drugs. Those taking valsartan and losartan tablets that were impacted by contaminants could have a buildup of these ingredients in their body.

If you or someone you know has been taking valsartan and losartan and has been diagnosed with cancer or gone through other unexpected side effects and medical conditions that could be related to the drug, the next step might be having your case evaluated by an attorney. Top Class Actions can help you find a lawyer.