Antacid
Antacids like Rantac, Zinetac removed among others from Essential Medicines’ List over cancer concerns
The Centre has removed popular antacids, including Ranitidine, from the essential medicine list over cancer concerns, media reports said.
A total of 26 medicines have been taken off the list, said an India Today report.
Ranitidine is popularly sold under the brand names Aciloc, Zinetac, and Rantac, among others, and is commonly prescribed for acidity and stomachache-related issues.
According to the report 26 excluded medicines include:
1. Alteplase
2. Atenolol
3. Bleaching Powder
4. Capreomycin
5. Cetrimide
6. Chlorpheniramine
7. Diloxanide furoate
8. Dimercaprol
9. Erythromycin
10. Ethinylestradiol
11. Ethinylestradiol(A) Norethisterone (B)
12. Ganciclovir
13. Kanamycin
14. Lamivudine (A) + Nevirapine (B) + Stavudine (C)
15. Leflunomide
16. Methyldopa
17. Nicotinamide
18. Pegylated interferon alfa 2a, Pegylated interferon alfa 2b
19. Pentamidine
20. Prilocaine (A) + Lignocaine (B)
21. Procarbazine
22. Ranitidine
23. Rifabutin
24. Stavudine (A) + Lamivudine (B) 25. Sucralfate
26. White Petrolatum
After the US-based Food and Drug Administration found probable cancer-causing impurity in the drug in 2019, the salt has been under investigation.
Drug regulators found cancer-causing impurity N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) at “unacceptable levels” in samples of drugs containing ranitidine, the reports said.
In 1988, Zantac became the world's first drugs to top $1 billion in annual sales.
The prices of several high-demand medicines in India are likely to go down, which include anti-diabetic drugs like insulin glargine, anti-tuberculosis drugs like delamanid, and antiparasite like ivermectin, said the India Today report.
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