Blood Pressure Medications Recalled Due to Nitrosamine Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. Close

Blood Pressure Medication Recalled Due to Cancer Risk

Nitrosamine a carcinogen detected in batches

Nipitpon Singad / EyeEm / Getty Images Drugmaker Aurobindo Pharma of the blood pressure medication Quinapril-Hydrochlorothiazide after levels of the cancer-causing impurity nitrosamine was detected above the acceptable daily intake level set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Elevated levels of a nitrosamine impurity, Nnitroso-quinapril, were found in 20 mg and 12.5 mg tablets of the drug. The recalled batches were shipped nationwide in May 2021 and have a January 2023 expiration date. The recalled lot numbers are QE2021005-A and QE2021010-A. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. The pills are round, pink film-coated tablets, with a D on one side and a 19 on the other. To date, there have been no reports of anyone having negative reactions from the recalled drugs.

Advice to consumers

Patients taking the recalled tablets should to discuss whether to continue taking the drug or consider an alternative treatment before returning their medication. Aurobindo Pharma will notify distributors and customers by phone and in writing to stop distribution of the specific lots and provide instructions for returning the recalled products. Consumers with medical questions regarding this recall or wishing to report an adverse event can contact the manufacturer at 866-850-2876 , or email . Questions about returning the drug can be made to Qualanex at 888-504-2014. Negative reactions or quality problems may also be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program , by phone at 800-332-1088 or by fax using to 800-FDA-0178.

What are nitrosamines ​

Long -term ingestion of Nnitroso-quinapril may be associated with an increased in humans. Nitrosamine s are present in water and foods such as cured and grilled meats, dairy products and vegetables. Although everyone is exposed to some level of nitrosamines, the FDA set an internationally recognized acceptable daily intake limit for the impurity. The FDA recommends that drugs containing levels above the acceptable daily intake limit be recalled as appropriate.​ A person taking a drug that contains nitrosamines at or below the acceptable daily limit every day for 70 years is not expected to have an increased cancer risk, according to the FDA. Aaron Kassraie writes about issues important to military veterans and their families for AARP. He also serves as a general assignment reporter. Kassraie previously covered U.S. foreign policy as a correspondent for the Kuwait News Agency’s Washington bureau and worked in news gathering for USA Today and Al Jazeera English. MORE FROM AARP AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Restaurants offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS