Recall of Losartan Potassium, another antihypertensive drug, after Valsartan and Irbesartan because of potential carcinogenic impurities, left few choices for the patient to manage their hypertension.
Losartan potassium is a time-tested drug used to treat hypertension, heart failure, and proteinuria. It is currently marketed alone or in combination with hydrochlorothiazide.
It is marketed by a variety of pharmaceutical companies and most of the companies in Pakistan and worldwide obtain their raw materials from Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
Voluntary recall of Losartan potassium by Sandoz Inc.
Because of the presence of trace amount of an impurity, N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA) contained in the API Losartan, USP manufactured by Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, the drug is being recalled.
This impurity, which is a substance that occurs naturally in certain foods, drinking water, air pollution, and industrial processes, has been classified as a probable human carcinogen as per International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
The product can be identified as Losartan Potassium-Hydrochlorothiazide, 100 mg/25 mg tablets in 1000-count plastic bottles, NDC 0781-5207-10, Lot number JB8912; Exp. Date 06/2020.
This product was distributed nationwide to distributors. The affected product was not distributed prior to October 8, 2018.
Discontinuation of Losartan Potassium should be discouraged
Patients using losartan potassium should continue their medicines and consult their physicians and pharmacists. Patients should not discontinue the drug as benefits may outweigh the possible toxic effects. Furthermore, abruptly stopping the drug may lead to serious end-organ damage.
Sandoz Inc. is a renowned pharmaceutical company worldwide. Losartan Potassium marketed by Sandoz is available by the name of NOKTAN.
Switching from Sandoz to another brand of losartan potassium in Pakistan is probably not advisable because the efficacy and safety of these brands cannot be relied upon.
Furthermore, only one batch of Losartan potassium has been identified to contain carcinogenic impurities. So there is no need to panic and start discontinuing losartan. This may lead to uncontrolled hypertension and heart failure.
Losartan Potassium brands in Pakistan
In Pakistan, Losartan potassium is available by the following brand names
- A2A and Co-A2 ………………… Wilsons pharma
- Acertin-50 and co-aceartin ……EPLA pharma
- Acertan-p ………………………. Unicorn pharma
- Angilock ………………………… venous pharma
- Anhibit and anhibit plus ……… medicraft pharma
- Artazide ………………………… pharmatec pharma
- Bepsar and bepsar plus ……….Nabiqasim pharma
- Blaze an blaze plus……………. mass pharma
- Cardaktin and cardaktin-h……. technovision pharma
- Cardive………………………….. olive pharma
- Chemozide and co-chemozide ..ideal pharma
- Corik and corik-H………………. Raazee pharma
- Correct…………………………… FYNK pharma
- Coryton………………………….. Brookes pharma
- Cozaar……………………………. Merck pharma
- Encertine………………………… English pharma
- Eziday and co-eziday …………..werrick pharma
- Fortzaar …………………………..Merck pharma
- Giozar and Giozar-D…………… PDH pharma
- Glutan-DIU ………………………Webros pharma
- Hyzaar ……………………………Merck pharma
- Jasartan ………………………….Jawa pharma
- Jesper and jesper plus …………unimark pharma
- Kosart and kosart diu…………. pearl pharma
- Larsen and Larsen-t…………… pharmedic
- Locor ……………………………..aries pharma
- Locozar………………………….. mediate pharma
- Lopec and lopec-h ……………..askari pharma
- Lopizide ………………………….candid pharma
- Loplus …………………………….atco pharma
- Loran ……………………………..wise pharma
- Losaan and losaan-h …………..efroze
- Losan and losaan-H ……………Wilshire labs
- Losanta and losanta-diu ………Asian agencies
- Losaprex and losaprex-p ……. paramount pharma
- Losar plus and losar-k …………platinum pharma
- Losartan …………………………don valley pharma
- Losaretic and losaretic plus …..pharmatec pharma
- Losartan ………………………….tagma pharma
- Losascot and losascot plus ……scotmann pharma
- Losaten and losaten-h ………. .bryon pharma
- Losazide plus ……………………don valley
- Losert …………………………….genome
- Losgin-k ………………………….jinnah pharma
- Lositan ……………………………medicaids Pakistan
- Losium ……………………………medera pharma
- Lostress ………………………….atco lab
- Lotar ……………………………..hamaz pharma
- Lotense and lotense-H………. .schazoo zaka
- Lotone ……………………………pulse pharma
- Lowprasure dc ………………….orta labs
- Lowvas …………………………..hamaz pharma
- Lozak …………………………….friends pharma
- Lozatin …………………………..lexicon pharma
- Loze ………………………………heal pharma
- Lp-sil ……………………………..silver oak corporation
- Megasar ………………………….mega pharma
- Mirisart …………………………..miracle pharma
- Normopress and Normozide ….CCL pharma
- Osaar ……………………………..lowitt pharma
- Osartan …………………………..libra pharma
- Osran and osran-TZ ……………beste pharma
- Parlak …………………………….ambrosia pharma
- Raposin and raposin-d …………shaheen agencies
- Rosar ……………………………..rock pharma
- Sar k ……………………………..robins pharma
- Sar-k plus ……………………….saffron pharma
- Sarcol and sarcol h …………….novins international
- Sartan and sartan h ……………Barrett hodgson pharma
- Sartx and sartx diu …………….panacea pharma
- Sarutan and sarutan plus ……..medipak limited
- Sozaar ……………………………alliance pharma
- Stumpan …………………………pulse pharma
- Tansaar …………………………..tread pharma
- Tansin and tansin ds …………..pharmevo ltd
- Tasartan ………………………….stern pharma
- Traslo …………………………….ejazuddin and company
- Vasonorm ……………………….pharmacare lab
- Wozide and wozide plus ………WNS field pharma
- Xavor, xavor diu and xavor forte ..ferozsons lab
- Xeta and xeta plus ……………..Wilshire labs
- Zonate ……………………………Munawwar pharma
- Zosartan-k ………………………Zafa pharma
- Zostat and zostat plus …………Himont pharma
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