August 2, 2018
The FDA announced voluntary recalls by Major Pharmaceuticals and Solco Healthcare LLC for several valsartan and valsartan/hydrochlorothiazide products on July 13, 2018. The FDA issued the recall because of detection of an unexpected impurity, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which they classify as a human carcinogen.
Your patients currently taking valsartan-containing medicines may contact you to discuss risks and alternative treatment options. Because valsartan treats serious medical conditions, we’re advising our customers to continue taking their prescription as instructed until they can speak with their provider.
You don’t need to write your patient a new prescription if you opt to switch them to a valsartan drug from different manufacturer that wasn’t affected by the recall. Whether and how much patients will be charged for the replacement medication depends largely on the policies of the dispensing pharmacy. You should encourage patients to call their pharmacy for further information.
For additional questions, call the Premera Pharmacy Services team at 888-261-1756.