Despite the recall, the FDA wants consumers to know Zantac is relatively safe
Over the last few months, there have been numerous U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalls due to carcinogen concerns in heartburn medications. We’ve written about each of them here at TFF, and even posted an article just a couple weeks ago providing consumers with what the FDA considers “safe alternatives” to those heartburn drugs. Now the FDA is here with an update.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wants Americans to know that the heartburn medications that have been recalled aren’t actually that big of a concern after all. In fact, as FiercePharma.com writes, the FDA believes the carcinogen levels in recalled heartburn medications are “no more dangerous than a grilled ribeye”. Not only does the FDA not believe that the levels of Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in Zantac are unsafe, they’ve now concluded that the use of Zantac “didn’t cause NDMA to form in the stomachs of patients.” All in all, despite its own recalls and recommended “safe alternatives”, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t believe Zantac is dangerous. At least no more so than consuming grilled or smoked meat.
So where does this leave consumers and their doctors? Well unfortunately, it seems as though we’re just going to have to wait for more information. The more we learn about the medications patients are being prescribed, the better equipped we’ll be to make decisions on what is and isn’t safe.
To read Fierce Pharma’s report, click here: https://bit.ly/2DesYX6
For the FDA’s statement, follow this link: https://bit.ly/2quTCIx