The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday announced that it is requesting manufacturers to withdraw all prescription and over the counter ranitidine drugs from the market. The drugs are commonly known by the brand name Zantac. 

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that this is the latest step in an investigation of a contaminant called NDMA, in ranitidine medications. NDMA has been determined by the FDA to be a probable human carcinogen. Officials have determined that the impurity in the medications can happen over time, especially if the meds are not stored at proper room temperature. Those elevated levels then exceed acceptable levels of human consumption.

Patients taking Zantac should speak with a medical professional about other treatment options before stopping the medicine. The FDA noted that other drugs approved for the same uses as Zantac do not carry the same risks from NDMA. Those drugs include Pepcid, Tagamet, Nexium, Prevacid, and Prilosec.

 

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