Health Canada is advising Canadians that multiple lots of Losartan-containing drugs are being voluntarily recalled by Teva Canada, Apotex Inc., Pharmascience Inc., and Pro Doc Limitée because of the potential for a nitrosamine impurity, N-Nitroso-N-methyl-4-aminobutyric acid (NMBA).

NMBA is potentially a human carcinogen, which means that long-term exposure could increase the potential risk of cancer.

Teva Canada is voluntarily recalling two lots of combination Losartan/hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) tablets after testing of one lot identified levels of NMBA above what is considered reasonably safe if the drug were taken over a lifetime. Apotex Inc., Pharmascience Inc., and Pro Doc Limitée are voluntarily recalling multiple lots of Losartan-containing products as a precaution.

The Losartan active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in all of the recalled products is manufactured by Hetero Labs Ltd. Unit 1, in India. These recalls represent all lots of drugs distributed in Canada that contain Losartan API manufactured at Hetero Labs Ltd. Unit 1. There have been multiple recalls of products containing another sartan, valsartan, in Canada and internationally since July 2018 because of nitrosamine impurities (see links below for more information).