(David Lao/ Global News) — Health Canada said Wednesday that versions of heartburn medication ranitidine – known commonly as Zantac – are being recalled by four more companies over concerns that the drug may have been made with unsafe levels of a chemical linked to an increased risk of cancer.
The companies recalling the drugs are Apotex Inc, Pro Doc Limitée, Sanis Health Inc and Sivem Pharmaceuticals ULC.
Earlier this month in an announcement from Health Canada, drug companies were ordered to cease distribution of the drug after unsafe levels of an impurity, called N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), was detected in some ranitidine products.
Prolonged exposure to unsafe levels of NDMA, classified as a “probable human carcinogen”, could increase the risk of cancer, according to Health Canada. (…)