November 30, 2018
Patients with heart failure or hypertension and their families are directly affected by this recall.
Recall of valsartan; 1.2 to 1.5 million patients affected in France
Valsartan is a hypertensive agent, which is found in a lot of medicines treating these pathologies. However, it is precisely these drugs that are calling for a second massive recall, after a first campaign of recalls, already, at the beginning of summer 2018.
In question, a molecule, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a substance classified as probably carcinogenic in humans, which has been found in a large number of these drugs based on valsartan. However, it actually has nothing to do with it, it is an “impurity”. The second recall is actually caused by another “cousin” impurity, NDEA (N-nitrosodiethylamine). It also classified as potentially carcinogenic …
A toll-free number set up for patients treated with valsartan
The problem is that these drugs are taken daily by at least 1.2 million patients in France, and, according to some estimates, perhaps even a little more. And there is no question of them stopping their treatment abruptly on their own.
The health authorities therefore recommend that all these patients, treated with drugs based on valsartan (the name is written in full on the box of most of them), to contact their doctor, so that he can suggest another treatment.
Furthermore, a toll-free number has been set up by the National Medicines Agency. It is accessible to all patients concerned, and their relatives, on 0800 97 14 03.
Jean-Baptiste Giraud
