Some valsartan medicines being recalled across EU

Valsatran, a drug used to control blood pressure and help prevent heart failure is being recalled in 22 countries including Malta, according to a report on CNN. According to the European Medicines Agency, the recall is because the drug contains a chemical that poses a potential cancer risk. The Health authorities in Malta said they are following the situation. Valsartan is off-patent and is used as a component of other generic medicines. Novartis, the company that originally developed the drug, said Sandoz valsartan and Valsartan/HCT film-coated tablets are being recalled since they "do not meet our high quality standards". The recall involves about 2,300 batches that were sent to Germany, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France, Poland, Croatia, Lithuania, Greece, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bahrain and Malta, CNN said. The problem was discovered during tests of batches of Valsartan's active pharmaceutical ingredient, as those from an external supplier contained an impurity. The European Medicines Agency (EMA)reviewed medicines from the supplier, Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceuticals in Linhai, China.