Blood pressure medications recalled – Check your cabinets now

October 22, 2021

By Kim Komando

Regulating your blood pressure is vital to your health, and many products are available for it. But if you use Irbesartan or Hydrochlorothiazide from Lupin Pharmaceuticals, keep reading.

The company has issued a voluntary recall of several batches, which may contain high levels of a substance that may cause cancer. Lupin says there are currently no reports of illnesses related to the recall.

If you or a loved one uses this medication, check your cabinets to see if your products are part of the recall.

Here’s what you need to know

This voluntary recall spans several batches of Irbesartan tablets and Irbesartan and Hydrochlorothiazide tablets. Through internal testing, the Lupin found that incomplete batches had higher levels of N-nitrosoirbesartan than legally permitted.

Lupin says it is issuing a voluntary recall of the affected batches based on an abundance of caution. Too much of the discovered impurity can cause cancer, the FDA explained in the recall notice.

The medication is available by prescription to treat hypertension and lower blood pressure. Bottles typically contain 30 or 90 pills and are sold across the country. These medications are also used to treat proteinuria, along with diabetic nephropathy in hypertensive patients.

The medication included in the recall is:

• Irbesartan tablets USP 75mg, 50mg and 300mg
• Irbesartan and Hydrochlorothiazide tablets USP, 150mg/12.5mg and 300mg/12.5mg

Inmar Rx Solutions distributed the recalled products to pharmacies between October 2018 and December 2020.

What to do if you have these at home

If you are unsure if your medications are part of the recall, contact your doctor. The FDA recommends patients continue to take Irbesartan tablets and Irbesartan and Hydrochlorothiazide tablets, but you should speak to your doctor about other options.

You can also report any serious adverse effects to any medications by using the FDA’s MedWatch website. There are several ways to report any adverse effects that an FDA-regulated drug, biologic, medical device, dietary supplement or cosmetic has had on you.